The Enemy of My Enemy
by Count Doofus
Summary: A new battle is dawning for the Guardians. A turnfeather amongst the enemy ranks tries to stop them, or at least warn the Guardians about it.
1. On The Run

**Disclaimers**

"_Guardians of Ga'Hoole" and all characters therein are owned by Kathryn Lasky and Scholastic Inc._

"_Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" and all characters therein are owned by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc._

_I only own this story, its plots and the original characters therein._

_This story is fictional. Any similarities to real events and people, living or dead, are purely coincidental._

_Any similarities to characters and/or plots from the other available fanfiction stories here are completely coincidental._

_Special thanks go out to WolfOnFyre/Rapture At Sea, for betareading and providing additions to this story._

**Chapter 1: On The Run**

The sun was shining brightly in the Forest Kingdom of Ambala. Numerous coniferous and deciduous trees were bathing in its warming rays, while crystal clear waters, originating from the mountains miles away, endlessly flowed from the many creeks and rivers across the land into the main river known as the River Hoole, which in turn flowed straight towards the Sea of Hoolemere. Bears would wait patiently at the edge of the waters, biding their moment to grab one of the plentiful fish swimming around in them. A gentle wind rustled the leaves on the trees and the growth on the ground. Skunks, foxes and other land animals were up and about looking for their next meal, while several, various birds in the air and the trees were doing the same, for themselves and their families.

Just another ordinary day. Except for one bird.

It wasn't looking for food, but rather shelter. As fast as his wings could allow him, he weaved through the forest to try and lose his pursuers.

"No point in running, Kraai! We will get you! It's only a matter of moments!"

Kraai glanced back, and despair slowly filled him when he saw that the voices he heard were telling the truth. Even though they were still quite far away, they were getting closer by the second. He'd have to find some place, _any_ place, to hide... and fast.

He quickly scanned the area around of him. There were several hollows in the nearby trees, but hiding there would be too obvious, plus the chances of running into an occupied hollow with a family of sleeping owls, waking them up and giving away his position, were far too high.

Then he spotted a fallen coniferous tree. It was suspended over one of the many rivers running through Ambala, held in place by large rocks at the ends of the log. It was positioned right before a slope, so if it wasn't for the rocks, it would tumble down into the river. Most importantly, it also had a sizable hole on the starboard side, unreachable to any creature save by birds.

"_Perfect! I just pray to Corva they don't see me heading in there..."_

Corva was to crows what Glaux was to owls, Lupus to wolves, and Ursus to bears. For indeed, Kraai was a crow, a _Corvus corone_, and he was now being chased by his own kind. Kraai always knew he was different than the other crows, but he never expected them to turn against him as they did.

To try and shake his chasers, he dove down towards the log, and flew across the left side of it. Skimming the bark at the underside of the log, he emerged on the right of it, and back-flipped straight into the hollow.

Quickly glancing around, it was clear from the arranged nest and numerous trinkets scattered about that this hollow was occupied, but the current resident wasn't home. He hoped to make himself scarce before the inhabitant would return, but for now, his biggest concern was not to get beaten to a pulp by a group of his own kind.

Thinking of them turned his mind back to hiding. He walked in as deep as the hollow would allow, and made himself as small as possible. Outside, over the running water below, he could hear the fluttering of the murder passing over the log, but then stopping dead in their tracks. He barely heard their voices.

"Where did he go?"

"I don't see him anywhere."

"He couldn't have just vanished!"

"We have to get him! If word of our plans gets out..."

"I clearly saw him flying under this log here, but then he was gone."

"Do you think maybe he hit it and fell in the water, Zwart?"

"Hah! That would be pretty dumb. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised. Kraai never was the brightest. Still, gotta give him some credit. You and you, go look downstream, see if he's there. The rest of you, with me. We'll search around this area. Meet back here once you're done looking."

The last voice he heard was that of Zwart, the leader of the pack. His voice had a deep gruff, and most of the feathers on his head were a softer shade of black, more like a shade of dark gray, betraying his age.

For the past two weeks, Kraai had never been more scared like this in his life. "_Oh, Corva, don't let them find me! Is it so wrong not to like what they like? Can't they just accept I'm different? If even one of them thinks of looking in here, it's all over..._"

For what seemed the longest time, Kraai remained in the same spot, all the while expecting one of the crows to notice the hole in the log and check it out. Finally, his fears became true as he heard a bird landing in the hollow. Since he was curled up into a ball to the best of his abilities, he couldn't look at the arrival, but he just knew whoever it was was going to turn to the other crows outside, and yell "He's here! I found him! Get over here!" He was all but certain he was done for.

"What the... Who are you? What are you doing in my home? Get out!"

Kraai lifted his wing to peek from underneath it. Standing in the hollow was a bird that looked like a crow, but its chest and belly were covered in snow-white feathers, and the top of its wings had a shade of blue. He was looking at a magpie.

"Well? Are you deaf? You're trespassing, and I'm not going to stand for it. Go on, get! Now!"

"No, please, keep your voice down. I'm hiding," he whispered.

"What? Hiding? From whom?"

"Those crows outside, they're looking for me. Don't let them find me! Please, I'm begging you!"

The magpie looked over her shoulder to the outside, seeing some of the crows flying in circles, constantly shifting their sights as if looking for something... or someone.

"Those are for you? But, you're one of them. What have you done to frink them off?"

"I'm not like them, and they hate me for it. If they get their talons on me, I'm afraid they'll kill me. Please, don't ask me to leave..."

The magpie looked over her shoulder again, noticing one of the crows had spotted her hollow, and was making his way to it. She glanced back to Kraai, and back again to the crow heading her way, trying to make up her mind.

"Alright, fine. I'll help. But you owe me for this. Now, one of your 'buddies' is coming over. Here, use this piece of cloth my niece found for me." As Kraai again made himself as small as he could, she draped said piece of cloth over his back, making him look more inconspicuous. "Keep quiet. He's almost here."

The magpie turned around, and walked to the edge of the hollow. The crow was coming up to her now, and tried his best to hover in front of the hollow, a skill only reserved for hummingbirds.

"Hey, lady. Have you seen a crow around here?"

"Yes, I have."

Kraai mentally cringed. He had just pleaded for the magpie for help. She agreed. And she was selling him out already?

"You have? Well go on then, where did you see one?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm seeing one right in front of me. Oh, and look, over there is a whole bunch of them," pointing with her right talon towards the flock of crows, circling the area where they were looking for Kraai.

"Oh, ha-frinking-ha, lady," the crow retorted.

Kraai himself exhaled deeply, only to hold his breath immediately after, reminding himself he was acting like an ornament now. The crow confronting the magpie tried to peek inside her hollow after he thought to have heard something. Yet, she deftly stepped in his way.

"Problem?"

Not being able to have seen anything that looked remotely like a crow, he replied with a brisk "Whatever," and turned around to headed back to the rest of the murder. The magpie kept her sight on the crow, seeing him report to another crow who appeared to be the leader of the group, and finally they all moved out of sight. She turned around to Kraai, who was shaking like a leaf from the lack of oxygen.

"They're gone. You can breathe now."

Inhaling sharply, Kraai uncurled and threw off the cloth, knocking over a small metallic trinket one would know as a thimble.

"Hey, watch it! I traded three perfectly good crystals with my niece for that."

"I'm so sorry, but I'm so relieved! You practically saved my life just now! My name is Kraai, can I ask for your name?"

"I suppose. It's Ekster."

"Well, thank you, Ekster. I don't know how I could ever repay you!"

"Don't worry, I'll think of something," she said with a smirk. "You could start by explaining why they were after you in the first place."

Kraai was a little hesitant to explain, but since she practically saved him, he complied.

"You know how crows love to mob owls? Well, I don't. I care for every species in the world, even for the bugs I have to eat sometimes in order to survive. I was flying with that murder when we just mobbed a couple of owls. We thought they had both died, but when they told me to make sure they were dead, I discovered that one of them still lived, and kept quiet about it. But when the truth came out, they've been chasing me ever since, and managed to lose them for now by hiding here. I don't know what they'll do if they ever find me, but it won't be pleasant, to say the least."

"I see. Well then, I guess it would be best if you stayed the night. Those 'friends' of yours might still be around. But after that, where will you go to?"

No other avian species in the animal kingdoms were as loathed as crows. Even seagulls and puffins were deemed above crows by many. Kraai could only think of one place he would be relatively welcome.

"Well, seeing as I'm pretty much considered an outcast now, where does any kind of outcast go to? The Beyond the Beyond, naturally. Who knows, perhaps I can make myself useful running errands for some of the rogue colliers or blacksmiths. Or maybe even one of the wolf clans... Besides being a snack."

As the day progressed, what was known as tween time soon approached while the pacifist crow and the magpie conversed. Ekster had moved some of her geegaws closer together to make room for her charcoal-colored guest. Kraai looked outside before closing his eyes to sleep. Not so much to look for this former murder, but rather to see the nocturnal owls stir from their sleep, enjoy their tweener meal and hear fragments of the stories known as the Ga'Hoolian Legends they told their owlets.

_How could anyone think of hurting such benevolent and honorable creatures? I hope to one day prove to them not all crows are hostile, even if I'm the only one..._ That was his last thought before sleep took over him.

Kraai was awoken quite abruptly to some peculiar sounds coming from outside. It sounded like... digging?

_Is it perhaps a Burrowing Owl scampering around, looking for a treat? Wait, that would be unlikely. They live in the desert._

Kraai carefully got up, trying not to knock over any of Ekster's valuables, and stuck his head out the hollow to look around. He retracted it instantly as soon as he discovered the origin of the sounds.

They were indeed sounds of digging, but it wasn't coming from a Burrowing Owl, or any kind of owl for that matter. It was twixt time, known to owls as First Light, where the sun would leak its first rays of light into the new day. Such rays were all Kraai needed to see what was going on.

He scooted over to Ekster, who was still sound asleep.

"Ekster! Ekster, wake up! We have to leave, now!"

Ekster, barely aware of Kraai distress, slowly opened her black, beady eyes, which then shot open in a fraction of a second.

"What the- who are you? What are you... Oh, right," she said, recalling yesterday's events. "What's the matter, Kraai?"

"We have to leave, _now_!"

"Leave? What for? I intend to spend the last of my days here, which I hope isn't for quite some time."

Suddenly, the log that provided Ekster with her home moved slightly, knocking over some of Ekster's oddities.

"Oh no, my properties! What's going on?"

"Ekster, if you value your life more than your trinkets, you have to go, now!"

The log moved again, knocking more items down. It had tumbled far enough to make a few of Ekster's geegaws roll out the entrance of the hollow, towards the streaming waters below, including the thimble Kraai knocked over the day before.

"No! Mags said it was one of a kind!" Ekster shouted as she launched from the hollow, diving after the thimble. Coming outside, with Kraai in her wake, she managed to grab it just before it hit the waters.

"Phew!" she sighed, while turning around. "Now, what's causing..." Her eyes grew wide at what she saw next.

The murder that was looking for Kraai yesterday had returned. They were clawing away the earth from around the rocks that were holding the log in place. Just then, the rocks couldn't handle the weight of the log any longer, due to the lack of earth as a counterweight, and Ekster's home tumbled downhill, coming to a crunching halt several leagues further down the river with one end in the water, the other on the riverbed.

Ekster nearly dropped the thimble in astonishment. "My... my home... my possessions... everything I had... gone!" she exclaimed, almost oblivious to the fact she managed to save the thimble, what little comfort that provided.

Kraai, who flew up besides her, tried to get her attention. "Uhm, Ekster, more pressing matters at hand..."

They both turned at the cause of Ekster's destroyed home, which was yesterday's murder. They quickly found themselves surrounded by a dozen crows, slowly circling around them. Kraai instantly recognized Zwart as he spoke up.

"So that's where you've been hiding yourself, ugly! I had a hunch you'd be holed up with that scavenging friend of yours, and I was right. You looked so peaceful together, sleeping without a care in the world. I had hoped to get both of you at the same time, but no. You HAD to wake up, didn't you."

"She has nothing to do with this, Zwart. It's me you want, leave her out of this!"

"Oh, but she does! She became part of it as soon as she allowed you in. If she had given you up, she'd still have her home, where YOU decided to hide."

Ekster exploded. "You destroyed my home! Kraai didn't dig away the earth around my home, you and your goons did! Why, I should..."

"Should what exactly, sister? In case you haven't noticed, we outnumber you six to one. I'd love to see you try anything."

Infuriated and in the heat of the moment, Ekster threw her thimble right at Zwart. Not expecting an attack, Zwart was caught completely unaware, and the thimble hit him right in his left eye.

"OW! By Corva, I swear you won't live another minute to regret that. Have at them!"

Kraai glanced at Ekster. While he was impressed by her throw, both of them knew it had little to no chance of evading the beating they were about to receive. They both closed their eyes and anticipated the bone-crushing blows they were about to get...

But instead heard the sounds of some of the crows screaming in pain.

Kraai and Ekster carefully opened their eyes again, and saw the crows in front of them looking in shock at a figure situated behind them. They turned around, and where previously four crows used to be, was now a bald eagle. The eagle lashed out at a few more crows, veering them off in several directions. With more than half of his forces defeated on a whim, Zwart backed off, but not before addressing Kraai one more time.

"You got off lucky this time, you freak! But rest assured, we will find you again. And when we do, you'll get what's coming to you!" after which he turned and flew away from the trio.

When the vanquished murder was out of sight, the eagle turned to the crow and magpie. Or rather, just the crow. Ekster had flown down to the log that used to be her home, looking in the water and the mushy soil for any of her possessions. Unfortunately, most of her stuff was washed away downstream, and the things she did find was in pieces. Nothing had survived.

Kraai and the eagle alighted on the ground. "Th... thank you, eagle sir... You saved us..."

"Arend."

"What?"

"My name is Arend. And you're welcome. I don't know what happened exactly for a flock of crows to turn against one of their own and a harmless looking magpie, however. Though I must say, that was a pretty nice pitch."

"Yes, indeed. She really gave it to that bird," Kraai commented.

"So?" Arend asked.

"So what?"

"So, care to explain why they wanted to lay the hurt on you?"

Kraai went into detail of yesterdays events leading into the moment before Arend had stepped in, and why the crows were after him in the first place.

"A crow that cares about others? Even owls? Huh. And here I was, thinking I'd seen it all."

"I concur," Ekster added, after joining them when she couldn't find any of her valuables intact. "Even though I'm homeless now, partially because of him."

"I know, Ekster, and I'm sorry this happened. I had hoped we were in the clear, but I'm afraid as long as Zwart is around, I'll never be safe. Nor you, for that matter, Ekster. And now I fear that includes you too as well, Arend. You may have fought them off this time, but I know Zwart. He won't stop until we've all been dealt with, and he's got the means to do it."

"Well, I guess that means we'll have to take care of him first," Arend concluded.

"I agree, but how? There's just the three of us, and I can't think of anyone to ask for help."

"My parents may know. They live here in Ambala, about half a days flight away. Their owl friend who lives with them is very knowledgeable, maybe she can help too."

Both Kraai and Ekster looked relieved to hear some good news for a change. Getting help from the owl kingdom would be a tremendous boon to them.

"I know the way," Arend said. "But before we go, a little heads-up: my mother can't talk. Her tongue was ripped out in a battle many years ago. Don't focus on that, and maybe you'll be fine," he said with a mischievous look. "Follow me!"

Everyone lifted off, taking to the air. They went past the treeline, when suddenly...

"Wait!"

Both male birds turned to Ekster, who had shot her gaze earthward, retreaving something. Seeing that something glitter in the growth of the forest floor, she dove down and retrieved it. She had recovered her thimble.

"This talonglove is all I have left, and I'll be danged if I leave it."

"A what now?" Kraai asked, confused by this new term.

"A talonglove. See, when I curved my talons together, it fits over them perfectly and I can throw some powerful punches around," she explained, while showing off her newly created melee weapon. "Lead the way, Arend!"

Arend sighed at Ekster's obsession with worldly possessions, but he figured she couldn't help it, being a magpie and all. He turned into the direction of his parents nest, and launched himself forward, the crow and magpie in his wake.


	2. The Ultimate Service

**Chapter 2: The Ultimate Service**

He was in tears. Kerk was astounded to even consider such an atrocious suggestion.

"No Bix, I can't do that. I could _never_ do that. I'd rather starve!"

"I know, dearie, I know. But I wouldn't suggest it if it wasn't absolutely necessary."

"NO! What would Mum and Da say? They'll throw me out to the raccoons!"

"Kerk, sweetie. Your parents have been gone for half a moon cycle. I don't know what happened to them, but to be gone for so long... I fear they are never coming back. You have to do it."

"But... Bix... I can't... I won't..."

"Yes you can, and you will. You're almost fully fledged. Just four more nights, and you'll be ready to fly. But as you know, dearie, I've exhausted the tree of bugs to sustain both you and I with two nights ago. We're both starving. If you want to live... you must eat me."

Kerk shook his white, heart-shaped face intensely in defiance, sending a few tears in various directions, which exploded against the hollow's bark. He was a Barn Owl on the verge of being ready for his First Flight ceremony. A ceremony he was bound to perform on his own by the looks of it, for his parents, Targas and Illia, had gone missing. They had departed on a hunting trip two weeks ago, but never returned. After three unnerving nights, Kerk, their only son, wanted to head out and try to find out what fate had befallen them. Yet, the family nest-maid snake Bix convinced him to stay put. He hadn't grown into his primary feathers yet, thus he would be unable to fly as good as if he was fully fledged. He was also very likely to get lost, given the vastness of the forest.

But Kerk's parents never made it back. Bix had tried to conserve the only available food supply – the plethora of bugs and critters scurrying in and around the tree – but the longer Bix and Kerk waited, the further the food supply dwindled. Until it completely ran out, two nights back. Both of them were growing hungry, and the threat of dying from starvation was real. Bix genuinely cared for the owls she served – as all nest-maid snakes do – and since Kerk was so close to being an able-bodied flier, she'd serve him one last time: by providing her own flesh as sustenance, until he was ready to fly.

"Look, Kerk," Bix continued. "I know what I'm asking of you is unspeakable. But if you'd just think about it for a moment. Either you don't do it and we both die. Or you do and you live. You can always find another nest-maid once you find a mate and grow a family of your own. And you'd be doing me a great honor. We snakes have always taken much pride in serving owls, and I can't think of a better way to serve right now."

Kerk wiped away some of his tears with his wings, only to make room for new ones. He peered straight at Bix, and would've locked his eyes with hers if she had any. For Bix, just like every snake of her species, was born blind.

"Alright, Bix. You've convinced me. I'll do it, but just so you know, I will forever hate myself for doing it."

"I know, dear," Bix sighed. "But I really don't see another way."

She slithered right next to Kerk's talons, and lowered her head all the way down to the floor of the hollow. Using the tip of her tail, she pointed to the back of her head.

"Pierce your talon through over here. That way, you'll puncture my brain right away, and I won't feel any pain."

"Wait, Bix. I want to ask you something before I do that."

She lifted her head, and curled her rosy-scaled body up into a neat coil.

"Go ahead, Kerk. Ask me anything."

"Would you mind singing the goodlight song Mum would always sing to me before going to sleep? I'd like to hear it one last time..."

""This Owlet"? Why, of course, dearie." She cleared her throat.

_I dreamed of an owlet  
><em>_whose feathers flared  
><em>_as bright as they could get  
><em>_in night's cool air  
><em>_the owlet went flying  
><em>_out into the sky  
><em>_the stars shone brightly  
><em>_as it passed them by_

_ and as the dream passed on  
><em>_my gizzard, it knew_

_ that this owlet  
><em>_the one I'd never forget  
><em>_one I haven't seen yet  
><em>_flying all alone  
><em>_would be carefree  
><em>_his life, never empty  
><em>_nobody could foresee  
><em>_this owl is my own  
><em>_this owl is my own_

_ remember  
><em>_when times look bad, to hold your head up high  
><em>_surrender  
><em>_all the fears inside that make defeat seem nigh  
><em>_you are a child of mine_

_ and this owlet  
><em>_the one I'd never forget  
><em>_one I haven't seen yet  
><em>_flying all alone  
><em>_would be carefree  
><em>_his life, never empty  
><em>_nobody could foresee  
><em>_this owl is my own  
><em>_this owl is my own_

_ remember  
><em>_when times look bad, to hold your head up high  
><em>_surrender  
><em>_all the fears inside that make defeat seem nigh  
><em>_you are a child of mine  
><em>_you are a child of mine_

Bix lowered her head once more after concluding the song_. _Again, Kerk was in tears, even more so than before. He gently placed the tip of his talon at the back of Bix's head, where she pointed at earlier.

"Goodbye, Bix. It has been an honor having you as our nest-maid. I'll never forget you, and may Glaux watch over you," he managed to say between sobs.

Bix said nothing. She had fulfilled her duty. Now, she would perform one last act of service by sustaining Kerk with her flesh... The ultimate service. She cleared her mind, ready to welcome death's embrace.

Kerk mustered up the strength he'd need to thrust his talon down...

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Kerk startled. The surprise of someone yelling at him threw him off-balance, since he was standing on a single foot. The talon that was ready to pierce the back of Bix' head only grazed the side of it, leaving a small, harmless scratch on the left side of her face. Regaining his composure, Kerk turned to the hollow entrance to see who interrupted him.

Standing in the hollow entrance, large enough to fit a mature Barn Owl, stood a crow and a magpie, side by side. Behind them, standing on a protruding branch, was a bald eagle. The latter had lowered his head so he could see what was going on inside, since he was far too large to fit in. However, Kerk only had eyes for the black bird in front of him, and immediately wilfed on the spot

"Oh, Glaux, a crow! Bix, it's a crow! I don't want to get mobbed!" He shouted.

Bix launched herself between Kerk and the trio of birds, making herself as big and menacing as she possibly could, despite her inferior size.

"You're not getting to this innocent owlet, not if I can help it!" she threatened, while Kerk slowly backed away until he ran out of space.

Because all snakes of her kind were born blind, Bix could feel things with her other, overdeveloped senses. So instead of sensing the aggressiveness many, if not all crows possessed, she sense something else. Shame, fear, embarrassment was pulsing from the crow standing before her.

Kraai backed away as well. "But... I... I didn't... I wasn't going to..."

Bix quickly realized this crow meant no harm. As such, she coiled up again. "I'm sorry. I know you didn't. Please, forgive us for jumping to conclusions."

Kerk didn't know what he was hearing. "But, Bix, he's a crow. Crows love to mob owls for no reason. That's what Da always says."

Bix turned in Kerk's direction. "This one is different, dear. I can sense it. He's not here to hurt us."

Kraai turned to Kerk as well. "Uh... that's right. None of us do," he said while gesturing to the other two birds behind him. "We were on our way to see somebody, when we heard singing while passing by. We thought it was a gadfeather performing, so we figured to stop for a spell. Little did we expect finding just the two of you here."

Kerk had moved forward again, standing next to Bix. She was blushing, which was quite hard to tell due to her naturally rosy-colored scales.

"Oh, my singing doesn't hold a candle to a gadfeather's."

"Nonsense. It was very lovely," Arend commented.

After exchanging names, Ekster was the one to ask the question the other males had in their head, only she was the first to voice it.

"So, what was going on before we dropped in? It looked like you were caressing your nest-maid." She recoiled somewhat. "Uh, I hope we didn't interrupt some kind of intimate moment!"

Bix and Kerk explained to them the situation they found themselves in.

"Oh, my! You're without food? Well, what do you say we'll help you fix that?"

"Oh, would you? We would be so grateful!"

"Anything in particular you'd like?" Arend asked.

"Oh no sir-"

"Please, sir is at home. Just call me Arend. I'm not that old yet."

"Oh, sorry si- uhm, Arend. No, anything will do at this point. I've already had my First Bones ceremony, so really, anything is good enough."

"Fair enough. I'll be right back."

"And I'll see if I can find some bugs in the nearby trees for you, Bix," Kraai offered.

"Why, thank you, lovely. I must apologize though, for thinking so wrongly of you before."

"Think nothing of it, Bix. It's a perfectly normal reaction. I'll be right back too."

It didn't take long for both the birds to return, Arend's talons grasping a plump vole and a succulent mouse for Kerk, while Kraai retrieved four of the biggest caterpillars he'd ever seen, two in each talon.

Kerk and Bix devoured the treats brought to them in no time, and their metabolisms had recovered in what seemed no time.

"I'm sorry Bix, but I just have to say it... Glaux, that hit the spot!"

"No need to apologize, sweetie. I actually concur, really."

"We can't thank all of you enough. If it wasn't for you, Bix would be gone now, and I would have a terrible stain on my scroomsaw. If you don't mind me asking, how did all of you meet, and where are you headed?"

"Well," Kraai began, "as you know, crows love mobbing owls, but I don't. The last group I was flying with wanted to mob a Whiskered Screech, but I refused. They decided then to mob me instead, so I had to run. I found and took refuge in Ekster's home, and was allowed to spend the night there. But the next morning, the other crows had found me, and they destroyed her home and all her properties in an attempt to kill us both. Well, nearly all her properties," he said, while gesturing to the thimble covering Ekster's talons. "The crows were about to attack us outright, but that's when Arend came by and knocked out most of them. Knowing that Zwart, the crow leader, will stop at nothing to get me, Arend suggested we seek out his parents and their friend, a Spotted Owl that lives with them."

Kerk turned to Bix in wonder.

"Bix, could he be talking about Hortense?"

"Hortense?"

"There are many stories told here in Ambala about a courageous owl named Hortense, a Spotted Owl that volunteered to serve in a haggish place known as St. Aegolius Academy for Orphaned Owls. Despite the name, it was a place of terrible things. The so-called 'orphans' there were actually snatched from their homes, some of them even still in their eggs, and they were being brainwashed in what owls know as 'moon blinking'. They were forced to sleep in the full shine of the moon, which distorts the owl gizzard so much, they did exactly what they were being told to do. Very few owls outside the Academy, or St. Aggies, knew what was going on over there. Hortense was one of those owls, and she volunteered to go in and save as many eggs as she could. Since she was a bad flier, she had the help of two bald eagles who helped her smuggle out the eggs."

"Yep, those are my parents," Arend said, an expression of pride coating his face.

"Oh, take us with you, would you please? Hortense is my hero, and I'd do anything to meet her!"

Kraai, Ekster and Arend exchanged glances. They couldn't think of a reason not to bring them, and besides, as long as Kerk couldn't fly properly yet, they couldn't bear the thought of leaving Kerk and Bix to fend for themselves again anyway.

And so the group of three birds turned into a quintet: four birds and a snake, all heading toward the same destination. Arend had offered to carry Kerk in his talons and Bix on his back, since he was the largest of them all and had no problem flying with the extra weight. The nest of Arend's parents was still several miles away, and everyone hoped the rest of the flight would be uneventful.

_A/N: song based on Leave Out All The Rest by Linkin Park_


	3. Preparations

**Chapter 3: Preparations**

"Anything yet, Matron?"

"I'm sorry, Shard. She's still the same as before," Matron replied. While she talked, Fleemus, her aid in the infirmary, handed her a fresh worm, which she carefully placed on the forehead of the silent owl Shard had recovered. She really wanted to give Shard some better news, but sadly, could do no such thing.

"Alright," Shard sighed. "I'll come back in an hour to check again. If anything happens in the meantime, could you please send someone to find me?"

"Of course, Shard. But please, try not to worry too much. I've dealt with cases like this before, and I'm certain she will be fine. If you hadn't reacted the way you did, she certainly wouldn't have made it. You just take care of yourself for now."

"Thanks, Matron. That makes me feel a little better."

"Think nothing of it. Now, go on then. I'll send Fleemus over to let you know if anything changes. The night is still young."

Shard was bolstered by Matron's compliment, yet he still felt somewhat disappointed, since the Barn Owl Matron was attending to showed no signs of improvement. The Spotted Owl left the infirmary and headed to his hollow, which he shared with his mate, Bryony. Matron was right, the night was very young. It was just past First Black when he emerged from the infirmary hollow.

It had been nearly two weeks since he had found the unconscious Barn Owl, somewhere in the northwestern part of Ambala, right next to a deceased one. There had been numerous reports of increased owl mobbing by crows, not only by number, but also in ferocity. More often than not, the victims were beaten to near death. The male of this Barn Owl pair however, was recorded to be the first one to have actually perished from an assault.

The news worried King Soren greatly, for the peace that the owl kingdoms had yearned for for so long, appeared to be in peril once again. Scouting parties were dispatched more frequently, but when some of them turned into targets and victims as well, Soren had every party accompanied by a few members of the search-and-rescue chaws. Twilight was the first to volunteer, of course, quickly followed by Shard, his second-in-command. Shard had been promoted to such after his diligent work as a Guardian, not to mention his monumental contribution during the siege against the Pure One's fortress working highly in his favor.

It was during such a scouting mission Shard had found the pair of Barn Owls. While flying with his group over the northwestern part of Ambala, he caught sight of two white-and-brown smudges on the forest floor.

"Twilight, two possible contacts, starboard side, ground level!" he shouted to his captain.

"Contact acknowledged. Chaw, bank hard right! Commence descent!" Twilight ordered.

The group of owls lighted down on the ground near the still ones. Twilight and the others made sure the immediate area was safe, while Shard went to inspect the contacts. One of the owls was on its back, wings spread and beak agape, eyes firmly shut. The other was on its side, turned with its back to the first one.

"Couple of Barn Owls. Male and female, presumably mates. Looks like they were hit by crows, and hit very hard at that," he stated, noticing the many bruises, cuts and dried blood on their motionless bodies. He checked for signs of life on the male, and sighed deeply when he found none.

"The male is no more, Twilight. It seems like the crows went ballistic on him. Glaux watch over him."

"I'll see to it that he receives a proper Final Ceremony, Shard," Twilight replied, silently cursing the crows in his mind. "What about the female?"

Shard turned to the female owl behind him, and walked over to her. He was expecting – and, truthfully, _hoping_ she would be dead too. He figured it would be better to have perished and live on in glaumora together, than to survive and find out your mate hasn't. His hopes vaporized then, but at the same time, relief washed over him when he put his ear slit to her beak, and discovered a slow, yet steady breathing pattern.

"She lives, Twilight! We have to take her to the infirmary, on the double!"

The two owls were then transported to the Great Tree. The female was rushed to the infirmary, while the remains of the male was brought to the ice weapons storage room at Shard's request. That way, the remains would be preserved long enough for her mate to wake up and appropriately say goodbye to him.

_I wonder how much longer it will take for her to wake up,_ Shard thought while making his way to his home. When he entered it, he ambled over to the first thing he saw: his mate Bryony, patiently sitting gently on a couple of eggs.

Ever since the ultimate defeat of the Pure Ones after what was known as the War of the Ember, there was no more need for the Resistance, of which Bryony, the most beautiful and courageous owl he had ever met, was the leader. Shard, who had helped her and the Resistance tremendously during the time of a constant Pure One threat, had an interest in her the moment he laid eyes upon her. She felt the same way too, but sadly, there were other, more pressing priorities at the time. It wasn't until after the end of the war, Shard made his way to the Resistance headquarters in the Forest Kingdom of Tyto to look for her. One thing led to another, and they were on their courtship flight before they knew it. He felt like the luckiest owl in the world.

"Any changes yet, Shard?" she asked.

"Afraid not, dearest. She's still out cold."

Since Shard was the one to find the female Barn Owl, he checked on her very regularly to see if she had woken up. He wanted to break the news of her mate's demise himself, for it seemed the right thing to do, no matter how hard it would be. Bryony didn't mind, because his caring nature was one of the things she fell in love with.

"Keep your chin up, sport. She can't stay like that forever."

"I guess you're right." He shifted his sight to the pair of ivory-colored spheres that were barely visible from underneath Bryony's feathers. "Any changes here?"

"Nope, nothing here since an hour ago. They rock ever so gently, and I think it'll be about five more days until they hatch. I can't wait to take care of them!"

Shard moved closer to her, and laid his left wing over her shoulders while nuzzling his head against her own.

"Neither can I, my love. I just hope I can be a good enough father for them..."

"Of course you will be, Shard. Do I have to beat that into you again?"

During the days of the Resistance, some of the owls engaged in friendly brawls with each other before a mission, as a way to both let off steam and hone their fighting skills. Even now, Shard and Bryony sporadically sparred from time to time. Last time though, Bryony got a bit carried away and Shard had to spend the rest of the night in the infirmary. Shard didn't mind, though, for his time in the search-and-rescue chaw toughened him up, and the brawls with Bryony kept him sharp. Bryony became part of the same chaw after completing her Guardian training, but she couldn't join any of the missions lately – including the one where Shard found the Barn Owl couple – since she had just laid her eggs.

"Um... I'll take a rain check on that one, dearest," he churred, after which he engaged in giving Bryony a lovely preening session.

* * *

><p>Lashing out with his ice scimitar, firmly clutched in his talons, Soren wondered why he hadn't gone yeep yet. Everywhere he looked, there was the blackness of crows, coming at him from all angles. One in particular, whose head appeared more gray than black, kept Soren in his focus, apparently waiting for the right time to strike. The other crows relentlessly assaulted Soren only to slowly wear him out, exhausting him to the point that all he managed to be able to do was staying aloft.<p>

Slowly but surely, the crows were getting to that goal. There were other owls around him, but their various colors and the deep blue of their ice weapons were drowned out by the blackness of the crowish fiends. His own feathers had small spots of red all over, indicating his wounds from the fight. He was surely getting more and more tired, and losing the battle. It dawned to him he was putting up a useless defense.

However, in between the gaps in the sea of black, he could spot four figures. Two of them were rather small, while the third was about his own size, and the fourth was the largest of them all.

_Is it the Band, coming to help me? Coming to help us all?_ Soren thought. _But wait, that's impossible. I'm part of the Band._

He took another blow to the face from a crow swooping by. It took him by surprise enough to drop his scimitar.

The graying crow took this act as an indication Soren was weak enough to be finished off, and plunged towards him.

The four figures in the back never budged the entire time, until the grayish crow made his move. One of the two smaller ones suddenly shot downward, and out of sight.

Soren only had eyes on the crow making a beeline straight towards him. It shoved one of its claws forward, a sharp, menacing blade conjuring in it, pointing straight at Soren's heart.

_This is it. This crow is about to finish me off..._

"Wake up, Soren! Wake up!"

Pelli was shaking Soren, while Gylfie flew above him, beating down the wind to cool him off, just like she did many times before when Soren was having a nightmare. Pelli called for Gylfie while Soren was screaming, for she knew what to do when this occurred.

"Oh... I was just dreaming," Soren said. "I'll be okay."

"You weren't just dreaming, Soren. You were screaming in your sleep. Something about you getting finished off," Gylfie said worriedly. "You know what that means."

"A starsight dream. I know, Gylf. But as usual, I can hardly remember what happened."

"Nothing at all?" Pelli asked.

"Well... I think there was a black bird attacking me. A crow, perhaps."

"A crow? Maybe your dream is related to the recent increase in crow mobbing?"

"I hope not, Gylfie. Only time will tell."

"Well, until then, you just worry about the preparations for the Moon Festival. How about some tweener? You've slept in, Soren. It's already past First Black." Pelli commented.

"Oh, wow. Really? Well, let's go then! I hope Bubo didn't get the last of the roasted voles again."

* * *

><p>"Are we almost there, Arend? It might be dark now, but I don't want to push our luck any further." Ekster called.<p>

As Kraai, Ekster and Arend flew across the verdant forest, the latter gently clutching Kerk in his two mighty claws and Bix nestled securely on his back, they hadn't encountered any crows or other threats, for which all of them were very grateful. Kraai figured they were in a different part of the forest, or perhaps in a different forest altogether.

Kerk had informed the others of the different cycles of the day and night as they are known to owls. Right now, it was just past First Black. Below, the darkened gray mass that was the forest of Ambala seemed to go on forever.

"No, not much further. In fact, see that mountain up ahead? Their nest is based up on that aerie."

"Goodness. I don't think I've ever flown this much in one day."

"But wait," Kraai piped up, "how will they react towards me? My kind aren't exactly the most popular around here, to put it mildly."

"You might be right, but my parents are very open-minded. Still, if it makes you more comfortable, I'll fly ahead and prepare them while the rest waits a small distance away. Once they know what's up, I'll come back and fetch you. Sound good?"

"No argument here," Kraai responded.

"Same here," Ekster and Kerk said simultaneously. They looked at each other and churred. Kerk churred in a way only owls could, while Ekster released a high-pitched "kriii-kriii-kriii" sound, a noise which made everyone flinch... Everyone except Kerk.

Since Arend was the one carrying him, he was the only one to notice the lack of response. This worried him a little, for Barn Owls were known to have pristine hearing skills. A screeching sound like Ekster's laugh surely would have been an insufferable assault to his ears. Yet, he didn't even seem to notice. Arend pushed these thoughts aside for the moment, as the Group came close to the nest of Streak and Zan.

"Alright, we're here. Let's land in that tree there, and I'll go talk to them. Shouldn't be too long."

Everyone landed on a different branch in the tree Arend pointed out, while he carefully released Kerk onto one and allowed Bix to slither off onto another.

'How was your flight, Bix? Not too rough?" Kerk asked her.

"Not at all, dearie. In fact, it was quite thrilling! I wonder if I'm the first snake to be flying through the Yonder."

"Wouldn't know the answer to that, Bix. Anyway, I can see my parents from here, I'll be but a moment. Kerk, why don't you try some branching in the meantime? Four more nights until you're fully able to fly, I'm told."

"Good idea, Arend, thanks!"

"Be careful, dear. If you fall, none of us can carry you back up." Bix was careful not to mention his parents. As long as their fate was unknown, she felt like she needed to avoid talking about them at all, unless Kerk started to inquire about them.

"No worries, Bix. Plenty of branches around. I'll be fine."

As Arend came closer to his parent's nest, it looked from afar like something was amiss, but couldn't quite put a talon on it. Shaking it off the notion, he landed near his parent's nest.

"Hi Mum, hi Da!" he greeted them. His cheerful tone quickly dwindled down, after taking a closer look at his father and seeing his mother's worried expression. Something was amiss after all.

"Da! What happened to you?"

Streak was covered in bruises and lacerations. Numerous spots of dried blood dotted his brown and white feathers. The once proud eagle appeared to be ashamed of himself, turning his face away from his son. That was partially true, as he was also trying to masquerade his black eye, using the darkness of the shadow cast between him and the moon that shone down on the Earth.

"Quite a horrific sight, is it not?"

Mist was sitting right next to Arend the entire time, but she blended in with the darkness of the night so perfectly, he never noticed her. He nearly jumped out of his feathers when she started talking.

"Mist! Geez, you scared the living racdrops out of me!"

"My apologies, Arend. I figured you would be used to this by now."

"No, not quite yet," he replied sarcastically. "Anyway, what happened to Da?"

"Crows. I wasn't there to witness it, so Streak?" She turned to the male eagle.

Streak was still looking away from his son in shame. To think a bald eagle was done in by crows, was embarrassing, to say the least. He stole a glance at Zan, and from the look in her eyes, only he could tell she wanted him to elaborate without her thinking any less of him.

Sighing, he turned to Arend. "Yes, crows. They attacked me in broad daylight, and left me like this. There were at least two dozen of them, and I defeated as many as I could before they retreated. But I was too weakened to give chase. I barely had enough strength to stay in the air. So I came here straight away to recover."

"But, why? Crows never bothered eagles before... and with good reason."

"I don't know. I thought I heard one of them yell something in the lines of 'owl collaborator.' It's no secret some of my best friends are owls" - he beckoned towards Mist - "but why the aggression now, I have no idea."

"Hmm... I don't know either, but I brought somebody with me who might."

The three birds looked at Arend in curiousness.

"Yeah. Don't be alarmed though, he's a crow too."

Streak turned his whole body around toward Arend, about to shout at his son for as much as talking to a crow. He got cut off before he had a chance to.

"A good one! I just happened to be nearby when he and a magpie, a friend of his, were about to be attacked by his own kind. He explained to me he favors owls, and that's why they turned on him. But that's not the main reason I brought him here. We know the leader of the crows, called Zwart, and we're looking for all the help we can get to bring him down, since all of us have been marked as targets."

"I'm still not certain it's a good idea to be helping a crow. Especially with what they did to me."

"Already told you, Da. This is a good one. In fact, we found a Barn Owl youngster on the way here, half a week away from fully fledged. His parents are missing. At first, the owl and his nest-maid snake thought we were there to lay the hurt on them, but the snake and her super-senses or whatever could tell he came in peace. We brought them too, to get advice on where to go next. They're in the tree over yonder, waiting for you to agree to meet them."

Mist, Streak and Zan all exchanged looks, trying to determine their next move.

"I don't know about you, but I'm intrigued to meet this crow and his friends," Mist stated.

Zan looked at Streak as if to say, s_o do I_.

"Very well," Streak said. "Bring them over, but tell him that if he even looks at me funny, he'll be getting it." And with that, Arend returned to the tree where everyone was waiting.

Or at least, were supposed to be waiting.

As Arend arrived back at the tree, he counted three animals instead of four. Kerk was nowhere to be seen.

"Great. Where's Kerk?" He asked while looking down to the ground, assuming Kerk fell down. "He was told to be careful, but still he manages to-"

"He's not down there." Ekster said, her voice slightly trembling. She pointed her wing up.

"Not down? Then where- " Arend then noticed Ekster's extended wing, and looked up.

Hundreds of stars dotted the night sky, and every so often a few of them would be blocked out by a small, passing cloud. Arend didn't see anything out of the ordinary, until he noticed one particular star, which seemed to move on its own.

"It's Kerk! He's falling down! I can sense he's gone yeep!" Bix shouted in panic.

Without thinking, Arend launched himself towards the Barn Owl that somehow ended up several leagues in the air. As to the how and why wasn't important right now. All that mattered now was getting Kerk down safely.

Arend slowed down as he passed Kerk, and dove after him to catch him better. After doing so, he gently glided down to the tree and sat him down once again. Kerk was gasping for air, for he just went for the ride of his life, which almost turned out to be the last one. Everyone looked at him, all with the same question in mind: _What in glaumora just happened?_

Kraai was the one to actually voice the question.

"I... don't know..." Kerk stammered. "I was practicing my branching, and while trying to work my way up, I just beat my wings down and got rocketed into the sky like that! I was so high, I think I could see the Sea of Hoolemere from up there if it wasn't so dark. But then I looked down, and I think I went yeep then..."

"Well, you're safe and sound now, sweetie," Bix said comfortingly. "We'll find out what happened some other time."

"Indeed," Arend agreed, "for my parents are ready to see us now. Remember, my mother is mute, so don't mention that. And as for you, Kraai – my father has just been the victim of a mob himself. Be polite, speak when spoken to, and don't tick him off. He's not really fond of crows right now, so watch yourself."

"I understand. Let's go." Kraai formulated a theory in his head, but for now, that was all he said. Again, with Kerk in Arend's talons and Bix on his back, the Group lifted off toward the aerie.


	4. A New Directive

**Chapter 4: A New Directive**

"So you see, sir, the predicament we're in. That's why I'd like to ask for your help, or at least your advice, on what to do next."

Kraai had just explained to Streak and Zan why Zwart, the leader of the crows, are coming after him and the companions he's traveling with. Streak however had recently been the victim of a crow mobbing, and wasn't all that interested seeing another crow, let alone talk to one. His son, Arend, managed to convince him otherwise.

"Well, from the sound of it, you've got yourself a world of trouble heading your way. Ever since the War of the Ember ended, crows have been living in relative peace with the rest of the avian species. But lately they've gone around mobbing everything they can find, myself included. Do you have any idea why they are so aggressive now?"

"Uhm... No sir, not the slightest."

Bix, the nest-maid snake that belonged to a family of Barn Owls, of which the only son, Kerk, remained, sensed that he was lying. Snakes were born blind, and to compensate, all their other senses were highly developed.

She could sense now from Kraai's nervousness, unnoticed by anyone else, he wasn't telling the entire truth. He was leaving something out of his explanation. Yet, she decided to leave it for now. Crows aren't exactly Streak's favorite animals at the moment, and Kraai had been nothing but humble and courteous around everyone else, so she wasn't going to get him into any trouble more than he already was.

"Alright. I think the best course of action right now is to seek out Doc Finebeak."

"Doc Finebeak? The renowned tracker?" Arend asked.

"Yes indeed, and a very fine Snowy Owl to boot. He resides at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, with his mate Madame Plonk, the Great Tree's singer. He is both feared and loved by crows, and one of the few owls ever to receive a crow's feather, which-"

Kraai cut him off. "Grants free passage, day and night. I know. I haven't been alive long enough to witness any owl receiving that credit, though."

Streak caught Kraai in a deadly glare, not in the slightest amused about being interrupted. The conversation the two of them held had built some form of amicable bond, but Kraai's error, which he quickly realized, had torn a bit of that bond down.

"Oh, um, sorry for interrupting, sir. That was uncalled for..."

"It's quite alright," Streak said, slightly under his breath. He was still having doubts about the honesty of this particular crow, but his son had fought and cared for him unconditionally, so that had to count for something.

"Hey!" Ekster exclaimed. "If a crow's feather means free passage, then why didn't you give us one?"

"Good point," Arend agreed. "Why didn't you?"

"Uh, I guess it must have slipped my mind. I'm sorry! But honestly, I don't think it would have mattered much. If the other crows noticed it was me flying with you, they would've attacked us anyway. Zwart has most likely spread the word by now."

"That's a convenient way to "forget" about it, I'd say."

"Alright now, settle down!" Streak broke in. "Fighting amongst each other won't help anyone. But Kraai, I do think giving them a feather will still help out after all. My advice to you is, when you head out to the Great Tree and you spot a flock of crows, just dive out of sight, and catch up with the others who will stop and wait for you after the crows are far enough. Sound good?"

All the other birds agreed, and Kraai started to pluck out a few of his feathers to hand out. Ekster and Kerk weren't too big, so a feather from his wings would do fine. Arend was larger though, so he pulled out a tail feather, one of his largest. It was quite painful to experience. The patch of skin from where he yanked the feather would surely be sore for hours to come.

"Well then, that's settled. Seek out Doc Finebeak, tell him what you told me, and hope he'll be able to help. Who knows, maybe he can convince King Soren to assist you." Streak said.

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir! I hope we'll get this sorted out with as little bloodshed as possible."

Zan caught the attention of her mate. Using a sign language only Streak could understand, she pointed out a small problem.

"Oh, right. You might want to let someone else do the talking for you, while you wait some distance away from the Tree. You're still a crow, and I haven't yet heard of a crow being welcomed there."

"We'll figure that out once we get there. Thank you so much, sir, ma'am!"

"We've also got another problem," Ekster added.

All the other birds shifted their gaze to the magpie. She got a little uncomfortable, suddenly becoming the center of attention,.

"What are you talking about, Ekky?" Arend asked, jokingly messing with her name. She didn't seem to mind, though.

"Don't you remember what happened just before we came here?" she asked, while gesturing at Kerk.

"Oh right! You see, Mum and Da, right after I left to fetch this gang, Kerk here had somehow managed to end up Glaux knows how far up in the sky while practicing branching." Arend turned his attention to the Barn Owl. "Any recollection of what happened, Kerk?"

Kerk tried to remember exactly what had befallen him. At one point, he got to some of the lowest branches of the tree. Next thing he knew, while aiming for the branches leading back up, he was lifted into the sky so high, he thought he could touch the constellations. There were hundreds, thousands of stars around him, and felt nothing but peace.

Until gravity started pulling him back down to Earth, and he looked down.

He was launched up into the air so high, he would've been able to see the Sea of Hoolemere in the distance if the sun was shining. But most importantly, the forest of Ambala was directly beneath him, and it was closing in... fast. He panicked, not knowing well enough how to slow himself down, and felt his wings lock up. He went yeep in that very instant.

As the world came closer, he zoomed past something brown. Next thing he knew, he felt big claws gently wrapping around him, and his descent was decreased to a tranquil glide towards the tree from where he departed, courtesy of Arend.

That was what he told the eagles in front of him.

Mist, who was sitting perfectly still right next to Zan, was silent the entire time. Her shimmering image blended in so perfectly with the surroundings, nobody had noticed her. Not even Arend, who should have been accustomed to her presence by now.

"Tell me again what you did when you tried to work your way up."

Arend mentally slapped himself for forgetting about Mist once again, while the other birds jumped and looked around in confusion. For they could hear a voice, but did not see where it came from. Mist took a few steps forward, better revealing herself to the Group.

Kerk's eyes widened as far as they could, and rushed up to Mist. He tripped in his excitement, his head landing inches away from her talons. He looked up at her from his prone position.

"It's... it's you! You're Hortense! The Hero of Ambala! I thought you were only a legend, but here you are, right in front of me!"

"Please, young one, get up. By no means am I a hero. I just did my part in securing the future of Ambala. Everyone is a hero in that regard."

"Maybe, but still!" Kerk said as he clambered back on his talons. "You went in against insurmountable foes and odds. You saved countless eggs. You risked yourself so others could live their life and thrive. Like it or not, you'll always be a hero in my book."

Mist couldn't say she wasn't flattered, and tried to hide her bashfulness, which worked to some degree. Only Bix could pick it up.

"Thank you, young one. But please, enough of that. Would you mind telling me again what exactly happened when you tried to work your way back up the tree?"

"Oh, certainly, ma'am." Kerk thought deeply, trying to recall his movements as accurately as possible.

"As I got to the lowest branch I felt comfortable with, I turned around, and looked up to the one I just glided from. I spread my wings, beat them down... and next thing I knew, I was being rocketed into the sky."

"Hmm... Let me see your wings."

Kerk proceeded to extend his left wing for Mist to examine. She brought her head so close to his wing to examine it, her misty presence almost seemed to float through the feathers. Then something piqued her interest. It was hardly noticeable, but she spotted a very soft silver-colored shine in the barbs of his feathers. The hooklets that made up the barbs seemed reinforced somehow, which made for much sturdier feathers, and in turn, much stronger wings. She wondered...

Mist turned her head to look at Bix. "Your hollow, the place this owlet was born... was it somewhere near a creek or river?"

"Why yes, it was. A mighty river, I might add. I couldn't sleep sometimes from the noise of churning water."

"That supports my theory. Kerk, I believe the river you lived so close by is laden with flecks. What flecks do exactly is still a mystery, but rest assured, they provide some owls with strange powers, at the cost of something else, just like what happened to me. It would seem you have been blessed with extremely strong flight feathers, which potentially enables you to travel great distances at equally great speed with little effort. I wonder what fate has made you give up in exchange, though."

"I think I might know," Arend said, after which everyone turned to look at him. While Mist was talking, he had made his way to the edge of the aerie, looking down at the ground below. It took a few moments, but he spotted some rustling in the leaves below. A small creature emerged from the bushes, and Arend's keen eyesight quickly identified it as a mouse.

"Kerk, come over here for a second, would you?"

Kerk carefully sat next to Arend, and looked over the edge with him.

"See that mouse down there? Barn Owls are very good, if not the best at picking up sounds other creatures cannot. It's one of the things that makes them such excellent hunters. Can you pick up that mouse's heartbeat?"

Kerk looked down at the mouse, and concentrated. He heard several sounds, the most profound being the heartbeat of the eagle sitting right next to him, so he tried his best to filter out any unwanted sounds. He cocked his head this way and that, to help the sound waves find their way to his ear slits better, but no matter how hard he tried... He could not pick up the heartbeat of the mouse.

"I... can't, Arend. I can't hear it."

"That's what I thought. When we were flying here, everybody cringed when Ekster was laughing, except for you. It was probably too high-pitched for you to hear properly." Arend turned to the magpie. "No offense."

Mist sighed. "So that's it. You have incredible flight speed, but in exchange, you have terrible hearing. You'll need to learn to live with that flaw, just like I had to learn to live with mine."

Kerk didn't know what to think. A soon-to-be incredibly fast flier, but as good as deaf save for the sounds in his immediate surroundings. His gizzard was in turmoil, and he squatted down like a sleeping Burrowing Owl in bewilderment.

Ekster walked up to him. "Hey, come on. It's not that bad. Think of the advantages! When we get to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, imagine the services you can do for the owls there. You could get messages out into the various kingdoms before the ink has even dried up, so to speak."

"Indeed," Mist said, "for the Tree has an elite messenger unit called the Joss Corps."

"Joss Corps? That name sounds familiar..." Kerk said after facing all the birds in front of him, while Arend moved back to his parent's side.

"That's not unlikely. Joss was one of the most loyal messengers of king H'rath and queen Siv during the time of Hoole, and proved invaluable in his coming. The late king Coryn established the Joss Corps during the War of the Ember in honor of Joss. Even though the war is over and the corps has little work these days, many messengers still try to earn a spot in this prestigious unit. If you can learn to control your speed, you could easily be chosen to become a member."

The more Mist talked, the more excited Kerk became.

"However, King Soren is wise. He will probably have you try out other chaw classes, to see if you are proficient in anything else. I don't think you'd be really suited for blacksmithing or tracking, but you might be a weather interpreter, a navigator, a collier or perhaps even search-and-rescue."

"I'd like that. The Guardians are very noble owls, and by Glaux' will, if I can be of their service, then I will."

Kerk stood up straight, and puffed out his feathers in a prideful manner.

"I hereby solemnly swear, with Glaux and all of you as my witnesses, that I will do my utmost best to become a Guardian of Ga'Hoole. And even if I am not deemed worthy, I will still do whatever I can within my capabilities to be of their assistance."

* * *

><p>Shard rushed into the infirmary as soon as Fleemus had told him to come over. The wounded owl he had recovered began to stir.<p>

"I came here as fast as I could, Matron. How is she? Is she awake?" he bombarded her with his questions as he strode towards the injured female.

"Calm down, Shard! No, I'm afraid she's not quite awake yet, but she did start moving and speaking. Well, rambling is more like it. Almost as if she's having a very bad dream."

Shard gave the wounded Barn Owl his full attention now as Matron looked on. She was stirring indeed, but not quite awake yet, just like she said.

Shard lowered his voice to a half-whisper. "Hello? Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Sadly, the female didn't answer him, but instead kept slightly tossing back and forth. It looked as though she wanted to speak, but had forgotten how to do so.

A few sounds managed to escape her beak. "Ta... mmm... Targ... gas... h-hel... m-m-mme... Kerk..." She then groaned, and fell silent again, slipping back into a comatose sleep. Shard sighed and faced Matron. "She's out again."

"Did you get any of what she said?" Matron asked.

"Well, apart from what I assume were the words "help me", it sounded like she was saying a couple of names. Sounded like "Targas" and "Kerk". Who they are, I have no idea. Maybe one of them was the name of her mate, and the other was the one who did this to them." He turned to look back at the injured female, seemingly sleeping peacefully. "I just wish there was something I could do..."

"I know you do, Shard, you've said that a million times before. But you've done all you can. Leave it to-"

"I know, Matron, I know! But it's tearing me up inside. I have sworn an oath by Glaux to help the innocent, and knowing I can't do nothing for this owl, makes me feel like I'm violating that oath..."

"Shard, please. In no way are you not living up to your oath. On the contrary, you did so by having her brought here for me to look after. Just relax. Take a few breaths, and settle down. I promise you, she will be fine."

"All right, Matron. I'm sorry. I have complete faith in Fleemus' and your capabilities to heal her, and I won't get in the way any further. Just please, keep me posted on her progress?"

"Of course, Shard. Go on, head back to Bryony. She needs you more than this poor thing does."

"Sure. Thank you, Matron."

And with that, Shard flew off to his dearest mate.

* * *

><p>As the night progressed, all the owls of the Tree were preparing after the chaw classes for the upcoming Moon Festival, when the moon would shine at its brightest and a celebration was held, one based on one of the many legends. Decorations were put up, lanterns were crafted to be lit on the night of the celebration, and special moon-shaped cakes were prepared to be consumed on the same night.<p>

Soren and Pelli were looking over the preparations, together with their three daughters, perched atop a large rock giving them all a good look at the bustling Tree.

"I love celebration time, all of them," Pelli said. "Just look at it all. Owls flying everywhere being busy with something, churrs and hoots to be heard all over, wonderful smells of delicious meals being prepared... My gizzard leaps with joy from the sheer unison of the Tree's inhabitants, more than anything."

"I can only agree," Soren said as he snuggled next to her. "It's all just so perfect..."

"Not to mention we get to hear Blythe sing again!" Bell added.

"Yeah, how is your song coming along, sis?" Bash asked.

"It's coming along just fine," she answered, slightly embarrassed from Bell's comment. "I'm putting some finishing touches to it, and it should be done by tomorrow. Well enough before the actual Moon Festival, three nights from now."

"How about a little demonstration, sis? Please?" Bash asked with pleading eyes.

"Nope, won't happen. I've put my heart and gizzard into it, and even though I love you all very much, nobody gets to hear it before the Festival." A tinge of pride colored her reply.

"Aww! Come on, please?" Bell joined in the pleading.

"Now now, girls," Soren said. "It is your sister's choice, and you should respect that. Although I must say, I am also very curious and anxious to hear it. But, if she doesn't want to sing it yet, we can't make her."

"Yes, Da," Bell and Bash replied.

Just then, a particular hoot resonated from the Tree. A messenger had arrived with important information to be relayed to Soren, Pelli and the Parliament.

"Guess we better take that. B's, can you keep an eye on the rest of the preparations?"

"Of course, Mum. See you soon!"

As the three B's veered off in different directions to address different aspects, Soren and Pelli headed over to the Parliament Hollow, where the rest of the Parliament had already gathered. Soren and Pelli perched on their reserved branch, and called forth the messenger, a slender Milky Eagle Owl.

"Welcome back, Jette. What news do you bring us?"

"The dire kind, I'm sorry to say, your Highness."

A murmuring rose up from the gathered owls. Soren signaled them to silence.

"Would you be so kind as to read out your report, Jette?"

"Certainly, Sire," said the owl. He cleared his throat as he unrolled a piece of parchment, which he extracted from a leather tube strapped to his back. "You heard about the reports of increased crow mobbings. I'm sad to announce they keep increasing at an alarming rate, not only in the Forest Kingdom of Ambala, but they have expanded into the Forest Kingdom of Tyto, the Shadow Forest and even the desert of Kuneer as well. In addition, the targets of the mobbings no longer limit themselves to owls. The crows seem to be attacking any flying creature they can find, including birds of prey which are three times their size, like bald eagles. They make up for their lack of strength with sheer numbers. As such, it would seem the crows are gathering, but their ultimate intentions are unknown."

Another murmuring arose.

"Crows, pah!" Twilight shouted. "Frinking pests, the lot of them! I'd love to go out and give them a piece of their own medicine myself. A fine opportunity to give my battle claws some more action, too."

"Settle down, Twilight," Gylfie pleaded. "Nobody questions your prowess, but if they even dare taking on eagles, you'll have more crows on your talons than you could ever bargain for." Twilight huffed.

"Is there anything else in your report, Jette?" Digger asked.

"There is, sir, but I'm afraid it doesn't get any better."

"How could it possibly get any worse?" Otulissa asked.

"The crows also don't limit themselves to daytime anymore. Several incidents of mobbings during nighttime have been reported. Not as much as during daytime, but they never attacked in the night at all before. Thus it is to be believed their forces are divided: one large part sleeps during the night and attacks when the sun is up, while the other, smaller part does the opposite. So any estimated forces should probably be increased by a quarter more to get a better idea of the total amount of enemies."

It was when Jette said the word "enemies" Soren truly started to feel worried, even more so than after receiving word of the first increase in crow mobbings. For so very long, even before he was born, the owl kingdoms have known little peace for decades, maybe centuries. Finally, after the conclusion of the War of the Ember, that long-yearned-for peace had arrived. Which crows helped to establish, no less. Now, many moons later, it would seem the crows are shattering that same peace. The flame of fighting has been rekindled.

"One last thing, your Highness."

"Yes?"

"Your friend, Streak, has also been one of the targets of a mobbing."

"Streak! Please, don't tell me he perished!"

"No, Sire. He survived, thank Glaux."

Soren, and everyone else who personally knew the bald eagle, sighed in relief. "Thank Glaux indeed. Anything else you wish to share, Jette?"

"No, Sire, that is all."

"Very well. Thank you for your valuable information. You are dismissed. Go get some rest, you've more than earned it. You've done the Joss Corps proud."

"By your leave, your Highness." With that, Jette turned around and walked out.

"Parliament," Soren said as soon as the doors closed behind the messenger, "this is dire news indeed. I suggest I would go to Streak myself and learn from him directly about his experience with the crows. Hopefully, he can shed some light on why they are acting so hostile."

"Oh no, you're not." Pelli deadpanned.

"Dearest?"

"I'm all for the idea of seeking council with Streak, but you are NOT heading out there by yourself. I'm coming with you, and I'm pretty sure everyone else here will too."

The rest of the Parliament – especially Twilight – nodded resolutely.

"And I'll bring me brothers, Tavis and Cletus! They'll take any chance at some action, as do I!" Twilight said excitedly.

"Thank you all for your concern," Soren answered, "but I will not require all of you to come along. You all have chaw classes to attend to, in preparation for the next generation of Guardians. Twilight and his brothers will make sufficient bodyguards. Twilight, remember to put Shard in charge of your chaw before we head out."

"May I suggest you ask Doc Finebeak along as well?" Digger suggested. "He's well respected among crows, so they are less likely to attack when he's with you... I hope."

"Good point, Digger. I'll go ask him myself. Whatever his answer, tomorrow at First Black shall we head out to the Forest of Ambala, and consult with Streak, Zan and Mist. Whatever information we can gather, no matter how little, is considered vital, for I fear that we may be in for another large battle. If all the crows in the kingdoms are massing, it could spell disaster for its inhabitants and all of us. Let us pray to Glaux it will not come to that. This meeting is adjourned."

Twilight zoomed out of the room before Soren's words were cold.

_No doubt to tell his brothers about a chance of a brawl, _Otulissa thought as she made her way out the Parliament Hollow, and headed to the library to continue working on her latest book, _"New Tales of Ga'Hoole – After the War."_

Soren and Pelli made their way to Madame Plonk's apartments, where they found Doc Finebeak. They relayed the information they had to him, and Finebeak instantly agreed to assist them in any way he could. After that, the monarchs headed off to find their daughters, to help them overlook and even assist in the preparations for the upcoming Moon Festival.


	5. Meeting the Guardians

**Chapter 5: Meeting the Guardians**

The Group made good time as they traveled across the vast, green lushness that was the forest of Ambala. By the time they had acquired the advice of Streak, Zan and Mist, daylight started to break through, and they had spend the rest of the day at the aerie. They decided to head out on the following evening, to lower the chances of being spotted by a crow patrol.

Kerk, obviously being accustomed to sleep during the day, fell asleep almost instantly after the sun started to peek out from the fringes of the world. Kraai and Ekster weren't though, so they slept with Arend serving as a sunblocking divider, while Bix rolled herself up in a neat coil next to Kerk. Despite the past events, the non-owls of the Group didn't get much sleep, the bright sunlight reflecting off of everything around them being the main reason.

When Kerk woke up at dusk, he practiced his flying some more, supervised by the eagles who were ready to step in should something go wrong. Fortunately, that wasn't necessary. Slowly but surely, Kerk gained more and more control over his unique ability to achieve incredible velocity. Just two more nights of practicing, and his trait would harbor no more secrets for him.

By the time everyone mustered up enough rest as they possible could gather and shook off the drowsiness, they said their goodbyes to the elder eagles and the vaporous Spotted Owl, and began their trek towards the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. Kerk, as a safety precaution, was still being carried around in Arend's talons.

"I'm so excited! I've never heard of a crow setting a talon in the Great Tree, and I might very well be the first!" Kraai said.

"Indeed you may be," Ekster said, "but you haven't yet. You know how everyone feels about crows. We know you're not like the others, but the Guardians don't. But not to worry, we'll talk to them and all put in a good word for you. I'm sure they'll come around."

"Thanks, Ekster. I really hope they do. Because this problem with my kin is getting out of hand."

Bix could sense he was holding something back again. Whatever it was, it must either be something very important for Guardian ears only, or something he's very ashamed about. There definitely was something he didn't want anyone else to know for the time being. Again, she didn't address him about it for the time being. _All in due time,_ she thought.

"I'll say. They attacked my father for no good reason. An eagle, for Glaux' sake! The audacity! If I didn't know you personally, Kraai, I'd give you the what for myself just for being a crow."

"Really?" Kraai gulped.

"Yeah. But don't worry, you're off the hook. But if I can get my talons on any other one, he'll wish he was too."

Kraai was glad he wasn't with the murder that was bold – or crazy – enough to take on a bald eagle, for even though Arend was much younger than Streak, he looked no less fearsome. The charcoal colored bird contemplated on the eagle's personality. Despite his rough exterior, Arend did have the best interests at heart of those who are close to him. Kraai was fortunate to be one of them, for nobody wanted to invoke the wrath of a bald eagle.

"You know, I could go ahead and inform the Guardians of our arrival," Kerk suggested. "That way, they'll know what to expect before Kraai can even begin to explain to them what happened."

"No dice, young'un," Ekster said. "Not trying to discourage you, but not only don't you know where the Tree is exactly, you're also not quite ready to fly solo yet."

"She's right, Kerk," Bix agreed. "I know your practices go very well, but that's what they are – practices. You'll need to learn a whole lot more about air currents, drafts, thermals and all that in order to fly like an expert, just like... uh... the Guardians." Bix quietly sighed in relief. She was almost about to say "Just like your Mum and Da." She knew Kerk missed them greatly, so she wanted to avoid talking about them. For all she knew, they might be dead, which seemed most likely the case. They had gone missing for two weeks before Kraai and his friends found Kerk and her, and not anywhere had she caught any sign of them with her extraordinary senses. She wanted to spare Kerk as much grief as possible, even though the possibility of their demise was no doubt haunting his mind.

"Exactly," Ekster continued. "And, I imagine with that speed of yours, if you do manage to find the Great Tree, you'll probably blow a hole right through it before you even know it's there."

Everybody laughed at Ekster's joke, the latter emitting her "kriii-kriii-kriii" sound, which made everybody but Kerk flinch again, and the laughing diminished to a short-lived chuckle.

Bix suddenly raised her head, as if scanning around like a bat emitting supersonic sounds, listening for places where the sounds would reflect. Kraai noticed her doing this, and instantly got worried.

"Bix? Is something the matter?"

"Be quiet for a moment, dear. All of you."

Everyone hushed up, the former chuckling making way for anxiety in a heartbeat. To help Bix checking the immediate area for contacts, the birds spread their wings and started gliding, reducing the sounds of their flapping wings to a minimum. Since Kerk's extraordinary hearing native to a Barn Owl was disabled due to the fleck distortion, Bix' senses were the next best thing to spot possible hostiles or friendlies.

The more Bix scanned around, the more she began to tremble. Arend felt like he had a nest of newly-born owlets on his back, shivering from a cold winters breeze.

"I sense... birds. Lots of them. They're heading in our direction, from our port side. I can feel the vibrations of their beating wings in the air. And judging from the pattern of those wings... I believe... they're crows!"

Everyone immediately shifted their sights to the left. The pitch black darkness, using the plentiful trees, rocky outcroppings and the mountains on the horizon, played many tricks on the eyes of the non-owls. Kerk however was the only one to actually spot some clear movement, which he quickly identified as a flock of crows heading straight towards them.

"Yeah, I see them! By Glaux, there must be at least thirty of them! What do we do? What can we do?" Kerk began to panic.

"Calm down, little one, panic will do us no good," Arend said. "We'll try to outmaneuver them. Hang on tight, Bix, because it's about to get rough!"

Bix did as she was told, and started to carefully coil her body around Arend's. After she had secured herself as firmly as she could manage, Arend shouted, "Alright, everyone follow me. We're going through the woods. Be careful not to smack into any trees or branches. With any luck, we'll lose them in there." He scanned the area ahead of him, looking for a gap in the sea of trees from which they could all enter. Spotting such a gap, he headed towards it after yelling, "This way! We're going in!"

One swift swoop later, the three flight-able birds were weaving through the forest, numerous pine trees swooshing past them. Kraai and Ekster had little to no trouble dodging the trunks and branches the forest threw at them. Arend, obviously being larger, occasionally hit a tiny branch growing out from another. He did his best not to have Kerk being hit by one.

It all went well. A little too well.

Kerk, able to turn his head in nearly impossible angles for other species – another treat owls were known for – did so in order to try and keep an eye on their pursuers. Which turned out to be very hard to do, since Arend was swerving, climbing and falling as such a brisk pace, it was next to nauseating. Yet, to the best of his abilities, he couldn't see any crows behind them.

"I don't see any of them, Arend. Is it possible we lost them already?" he said loudly so the eagle carrying him around would hear him.

Arend glanced down at Kerk, if just for a moment. "That would be awfully quick," he replied.

Kraai, hearing the conversation, dared to glance behind him, risking a collision with one of nature's many achievements. He, too, didn't catch any trace of his kin.

"He's right. I don't see them either," he said. _They gave up pretty easily. That's highly unusual for them._

In front of the fleeing birds, the denseness of the forest began to grow thinner. The further they flew, the less effort they had to make in order to avoid the trees in their path. Eventually, the trees stopped appearing altogether. Before them, they could only see billions of gallons of water, which softly rolled ashore on the coast that made up the border between the kingdom of Ambala and the Sea of Hoolemere, the latter cloaked in a think, gray mist.

The Group landed on a few rocks that were scattered across the beach. Bix slid down on the rock Arend perched himself upon.

"Well, we certainly got here fast. Once we can find our way through this mist, we'll be at the Great Tree already. Not to mention we lost the crows with such little effort. How lucky we are, thank Corva!" Ekster triumphed.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Kraai said worriedly, while looking back at the forest. "If I know crows – as I should – it's not like them at all to give up so soon."

Everyone shot their vision back at the forest they just went through. Save for the vague shapes of the few trees that made up the first line of vegetation, there was nothing to see but blackness. Not a single word was uttered while they were looking, half-expecting the crows to suddenly burst forth and renew their siege. The thrill of the chase was still vivid, but as time slowly passed by, that feeling started to fade away, for all stayed quiet. The pursuing crows indeed seemed to have given up.

Arend relaxed. "Well, guess that's one problem over and done with," he said confidently.

"I don't know... It still seems fishy to me," Kraai said.

"Oh, give it a blow, would you?" Ekster said, slightly irritated. "I'm pretty sure we're safe now. Those pests are long gone by now. Uh, no offense."

"None taken. Still, I know my kind, and this is not of their usual behavior."

"Look," Arend intervened, "let's just assume they're gone, okay? Right now, we need to focus on the matter at hand, and that's getting past this frinking mist. It doesn't seem like it can be navigated easily, so I suggest we get some rest before heading in. I got a feeling this'll-"

Arend's sentence was cut off, for a deafening shriek erupted from the forest, along with the shapes of numerous black birds heading towards them...

* * *

><p>A team of six owls departed from the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. Their destination: the nest of a pair of bald eagles known as Streak and Zan, which they shared with a peculiar Spotted Owl named Hortense, or as she preferred to call herself, Mist. Their goal was to gather information from them on why crows across all the kingdoms are suddenly becoming more and more violent recently.<p>

"Tell me, Your Highness, what you know, if you please. You weren't so specific when you came asking for my humble assistance." Doc Finebeak asked.

"Doc, please. You know I don't like to be addressed so formally. It's just Soren, and that goes for everyone else."

"Alright, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Anyway, according to Jette, our prime messenger, crows everywhere have started to mob others again, with much more violence. I say "others", because it's not just owls, but every bird they can find. Even our friend Streak, which is a bald eagle. Can you believe that? A bald eagle! We can only guess what the crows are up to. That's why we're heading to Streak now, and find out what we can."

"I don't get it. I mean, the crows even helped us during the War of the Ember. We've been living in relative peace with them ever since. Why would they turn on us now? Did we or somebody else do something terrible to them?"

"That's why we brought you along. You're well respected among crows. The younger ones may not know you, but the older ones certainly should. If we run into a flock of them, maybe you could talk to them and learn more. If talking doesn't work... Well, that's why we've got Twilight, Tavis and Cletus with us."

The three Great Grays nodded in acknowledgment. Except for Finebeak, all the owls were donning battle claws, ready to be released from their retracted state in a flash, should the need arise.

As soon as the meeting in the Parliament had concluded the night before, Twilight rocketed out straight away, heading to the armory where his brothers were to be found every day. Just like his long-lost sibling, they loved fighting and the means to do it with.

Otulissa had documented one of their heroic escapades in one of her books, so it was known there was a touch of diplomacy in them, which despite their preferable method of solving conflicts was the way of handling differences was always used first. They had received the Guardian training just like everyone else. One of the basic rules was that "a Guardian never answers words with talons", so if a fight was bound to break out, they were required for the enemy to make the first move. Which they would gladly answer with a move or two of their own.

Twilight found his bros looking over some of the ice weapons. "Tavis, Cletus, I got great news. We might get a chance to use these again," he said, tilting his head towards the weapons. His brothers' faces lit up with elation.

"Really, Cass? About frinking time! Peace is great and all, but these weapons are too beautiful to just sit in a case forever," Cletus said.

As documented by Otulissa in the same book with Tavis and Cletus' accomplishments, Twilight had discovered his real name given by his parents, just after he had hatched and before he was orphaned. That name was Cassius, but since Twilight used his own name for the most of his life, he preferred to be called the latter. Only his brothers were allowed to call him Cassius, or "Cass" for short.

"And too clean," Tavis added to Cletus' statement. "They look better with a smudge of red, accompanied by a tuft of down."

His brothers looked at him in slight disgust.

"What? Too brutal?"

"Just a speck," Twilight said sarcastically. He loved to brawl, but that was over the top, even for him. "Anyway, here's the deal. The crows, frinking pests that they are, have started to mob again, as many birds as they can find."

"Birds? You mean not only owls?" Tavis interjected.

"Yup. They even got our friend, Streak. You've probably heard of him. So tomorrow, Soren and Pelli are going to take Doc Finebeak to see Streak and find out what can be learned. And here's the best part: we've been asked along as bodyguards!"

The two brothers looked at each other, smiled and puffed out their feathers.

"Ho boy. This is going to be awesome! What should we bring? That scimitar over there is poking my eyes out... Figuratively speaking, of course."

"It better," Tavis responded. "I don't want to feed you your mice like Mum used to do," he churred.

Twilight stepped in before Cletus could provide a snappy comeback. "Well, as much as I would like to use these beauties myself, it's up to Soren to decide that. If I know him, he'll probably ask us to just bring battle claws."

"Works for me! As long as I get to swing them at a target, I'm happy."

"So would I, Cletus, so would I. We leave tomorrow at First Black. We'll meet in the Dining Hollow for tweener before then, and we're heading out after that. See you then!"

As Twilight turned and started to head out, his eyes caught the sight of a rectangular, steel box, tucked in the corner of the freezing armory. At first, he wondered why such a box would need to be stored here, until he remembered what it contained. Inside were the remains of the male Barn Owl he, Shard and the rest of his party had discovered a few nights ago.

_I wonder how that female is holding up. We can't leave her mate here forever, that's for sure. I bet Shard, Glaux bless his heart, still checks on her multiple times a day... Oh, Shard!_

Thinking of his second-in-command, Twilight headed not to his own hollow to sleep, but to Shard's residence instead. He had reminded himself of Soren's command to put Shard at the head of the chaw for tomorrow's practices, since he had been called away for a mission. He landed at the rim of the hollow to find Shard sitting on his eggs instead of Bryony. Shard, seeing his captain appear at his home, was a little embarrassed.

"Why hello there, missus Shard. Is your husband away?" Twilight asked mockingly.

"Very funny, Twilight. No, Bryony needed to spread her wings for a while. She spends most of the day in here sitting on these two miracles, so she deserves at least that, I'd say. If that means I have to take over from her for a while, so be it."

"Yeah, Bryony is a good owl. You're lucky to have her, Shard. I envy you."

"Well, I'm glad she isn't a Great Gray then," he smiled. "Anyway, what brings you to my humble dwelling?"

"Oh, right. I've received a special mission from King Soren today, so I'll be unavailable to attend the chaw class tomorrow. So I'm required to put you at the helm instead. Are you up for it?"

"Sure, as soon as you tell me what subject you had in mind for tomorrow."

"I was going to teach them how to transport injured owlets from one point to another. How to pick them up, the safest way to carry them without injuring them further, and putting them down again. Ask the snakes in the sewing guild for some owlipoppen, I bet they have some spares."

"You got it, captain. May I ask what the mission is?"

"You may. Soren wants to head out to find Streak and Zan, and learn what they can about this sudden increase in crow attacks. He's asked my brothers and me along as bodyguards."

"Ah, guard duty, huh? So you might get to work those battle claws again. Now it's my turn to be envious."

"I can bring in a crow for you to beat up, if you'd like."

"Don't be silly, Twilight. A crow, at the Great Tree? I'll eat my own pellet if that ever happens."

"I'll hold you to that, you know."

"Heh, go ahead. I'm pretty sure that's never going to happen."

"Suit yourself. Anyway, I better get some rest. I'll need my energy for tomorrow. Good luck with the chaw tomorrow!"

"Thanks, chief. Break a wing!"

Twilight did what he said, and soon dozed off to another realm in his own hollow, eagerly anticipating the following day.

"Look, we're coming up to the coast already," Pelli said excitedly.

"Indeed. We're making good time. At this rate, we'll be at the aerie before long. Why don't we land to relax a moment, and-"

Soren interrupted himself, as he vaguely picked up some odd sounds.

"What's wrong, dear?"

"Pelli, do you hear that?"

Soren and Pelli cocked their heads in several angles to guide the unusual sounds to their ear slits. It sounded like a terrible shriek, along with the screams of a few individuals, followed by fighting noises.

"It sounds like someone is in trouble."

"It sure does! We've barely crossed the Sea, and we're already stumbling upon a group of crows attacking some innocents."

"We don't know that for sure yet, dear. Let's check it out if they are crows, and intervene if needed," Soren said.

With Soren and Pelli in the lead, they changed their course to the direction of the struggle. It didn't take them long to come across it.

"They're crows, alright. And look, they're attacking that other group of birds. Looks like a magpie, a bald eagle, a snake, a Barn Owl, and... another crow? But... why would they-"

"Later, Soren," Twilight interrupted. "The crows outnumber the others by far. I say we go and lend them a talon... and not the natural kind," and Twilight extended his battle claws, his brothers quickly following his example.

Soren knew he was right, so Pelli and he extended their own. "Alright, you got me. Let's get these crows off of them. Try not to harm the one they seem to be attacking, and if you can, leave some alive. The more we can learn, the better."

All the owls, save for Finebeak since he wasn't wearing any armaments, dove down towards the unfair brawl. With the five of them added to the other four birds, they were still outnumbered, but carrying weapons evened that out somewhat.

Arend, Kraai and Ekster were dealing with much more crows than they could handle, but tried to hold them off to the best of their abilities, which seemed to be working... for now. Kerk was still on one of the rocks Arend had left him, three crows in front of him, with Bix in the middle, facing them.

"You're not getting to this innocent owlet, not if I can help it!" she said to the crows, making herself looking as threatening as possible. Ironically, it was the same thing she said and did when Kraai first appeared before them. Only these crows didn't share Kraai's affinity.

"And what exactly is it are you going to do, old timer?" the crow in the middle taunted.

"Hah! I'd love to see her try. Should be fun," said another on the right.

"Forget it, let's just get this over with already," said the third.

Before they could make a move though, Bix was the one to do so first. She lashed out and planted her tiny teeth in the legs of the leftmost crow, causing it to yell in pain. She used the momentum of launching herself to slap her tail against the face of the middle one, knocking it off the rock into the mushy sand below. The rightmost one was momentarily stunned from this swift action, but quickly broke out of it, and started pecking her body.

Kerk, in turn, broke out of his state of fear after seeing his family's good friend and caretaker getting hurt, and hurled himself towards Bix' assaulter.

"Get off of her, this instant!" he yelled, while swiping his talons at the crow. Bix still had her teeth firmly clenched into the legs of her first victim, who was shaking it vigorously, trying to get her off. It didn't do him any good, since she only managed to dig deeper and deeper into his skin. Blood started to run down from his increasingly severing wound.

"Yaaaargh!" A yell came from up above. Some of the crows that were waiting their turn to throw in a punch at their victims looked up, only to be greeted by a glint of moonlight reflecting from five pairs of viciously sharp battle claws. Before they could react, the claws met, and their worlds grew black instantly.

One of the dead crows fell on top of the one Kerk was fighting off, which stunned it and caused it to fall off the rock as well, after which Kerk looked up. Plentiful was his amazement to see two Barn Owls and three Great Grays to come to their rescue.

"Bix, look! It's the Guardians! They've come to help us!" he yelled in excitement, momentarily forgetting she was blind.

Bix, who had released her victim after it had passed out, turned to him. "Well, I can't see them, but by Glaux, am I happy they are here!"

As soon as the Guardians had dealt with their first targets, they quickly turned their attention to the remaining crows around. Because the owls were upon them so fast and precise, they were too dumbfounded to retaliate, and the Guardians made quick work of most of them. The ones that did manage to find the will to try and fight back didn't last long. Scores of crows fell onto the beach below, and before long, the fight was over. The airborne part of the Group landed next to Kerk and Bix, while the Guardians landed on another rock across from them. Kraai tried to hide himself behind Arend, since he wasn't sure the Guardians would see him as an enemy or not.

"Are you all alright?" Soren asked.

"We're fine now, thanks to you," Arend responded. "We probably wouldn't have made if not for your swift intervention, so thank you."

"Don't mention it. I'm glad to have seen some action again, even though it was quite short," Twilight said, bumping heads with his brothers.

"Hold on," Kerk interjected. "Bix is hurt!"

"It's nothing, dear. Just a few loose scales. That crow didn't do any real damage."

Soren gave her injuries a look. "It doesn't look too bad indeed, but it could get infected. We'll take you to our infirmary as soon as we get back to the Great Tree."

"It's probably none of my business, but what are you doing here on the shore? There's no game to be found here." Pelli asked.

"Believe it or not, but we were trying to find our way to your Great Ga'Hoole Tree, as it happens," Ekster said matter-of-factly. "We've got some valuable information your king would be dying to hear." She was obviously unaware the king was sitting right in front of her. The owls looked at each other. Soren blinked, telling them to play along.

"And what information would that be, if I may be so blunt in asking?" he asked.

"Well, this one knows it better than any of us, so ask him," she answered, after which she gently but firmly shoved Kraai from behind Arend's back.

"A crow? With information for us? Is this a joke?" Tavis asked.

Doc Finebeak, who observed the fight go down, finally landed next to Tavis. "Hang on, Tavis. Let me talk to him." Finebeak turned his head to the crow, which was trembling with fear. "Now now, young one, there's no need to be afraid. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Doc Finebeak."

"Oh hey, I heard of you!" Arend yapped out. "My father mentioned you. You're a friend of the crows, aren't you?"

"Indeed I am. At least, I am to the ones who don't try to attack me and my companions."

"See, Kraai? I told you everything would be fine. Now go on, tell him what you know. Maybe them, he'll take us to see the king."

"The king? But, the king is right-"

Finebeak received a nudge from Cletus, and signaled him to drop that particular topic.

"Oh, uh, never mind. So anyway. What is this information you wish to share?"

Kraai stepped forward, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the now-retracted battle claws of the owls surrounding him. He felt nothing but dread.

"Don't worry... Kraai, is it? They won't use their battle claws on you unless you give them a reason to."

To help Kraai feel more at ease, Soren asked the Great Grays to check the bodies of the crows scattered on the coast to see if any of them were alive.

"A-alright. So yes, my name is Kraai. Before I say anything else, let me apologize for my actions in the past. I was part of the other murders engaging in mobbing owls and others, for I didn't want to be excluded."

The Great Gray brothers could hear the conversation from where they were checking for living crows.

"What's a murder?" Tavis asked.

"Both the name of a crime where someone is purposely killed, and also a flock of crows," Twilight answered, flipping a dead crow over on its back.

"Ah, so a murder committing murders. Hm. I can see how that name came about."

"For you see," Kraai continued, "I don't like harming others in the slightest. But I still participated nonetheless, although not as actively as the rest, which they started to notice. A few days ago, when I was flying with my last group, we spotted a Whiskered Screech trying his luck in broad daylight. Of course, my group wanted to ruin his day, to say the least. But then, I turned to our leader, Zwart, and scolded him for it. Zwart normally doesn't approve of spontaneous mobbings, for it might cause some alarm in the kingdoms and the Great Tree. But he couldn't resist himself that time. After I told Zwart off, he ignored the Screech and commanded the rest to go for me instead. That's when I ran..."

Again, Bix sensed Kraai wasn't telling the whole truth. She still didn't say anything, though. The truth will come out eventually, and with the Guardians around, what could possibly go wrong?

Kraai continued to tell the story of how he fled his old group, encountering Ekster, Arend, Bix and Kerk in the process, and eventually came to the point of them meeting Streak, Zan and Mist.

"Oh, you know them?" Soren asked.

"I better," Arend answered. "He's my father."

The owls blinked in astonishment. "Streak and Zan are your parents?" Twilight called out from a few feet away.

"Anything odd about that?"

"No, not at all, but we've known Streak and Zan for years, but we've never met one of their brood. Pleased to meet you, Arend," Soren said.

"Likewise. But would you mind telling me your names? Maybe I've heard of you as well."

Soren knew then their jig was up.

"Certainly. Over there you have Twilight, the search-and-rescue ryb – which means teacher – of the Great Tree. Those are his brothers, Cletus and Tavis. As for us... My name is Soren, and this lovely creature next to me is my mate Pellimore, or Pelli for short."

The Group gasped.

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then yes, you are correct: we are the king and queen of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree."

Now it was the Group's turn to blink in astonishment, They all lowered their bodies until their stomachs touched the rock they stood on, and bowed their heads as deep as they could.

"Your Majesty... Your Highness... We had no idea..."

"Stop that, right now. You can address us just like you did before, it makes little difference to us. We are unembered monarchs, so as far as I'm concerned, protocol is unnecessary in our vicinity."

Everyone raised themselves up again, a little bewildered from Soren's request, one they obeyed nonetheless.

"Alright... Soren. So, where was I? Oh yes, Streak."

Kraai then continued to explain the past events that leaded up to the point of meeting each other, often assisted by the rest of his party.

"Okay, so now we know who you all are and what you've been through. But you still haven't told us what the crows are planning to do," Finebeak said.

"Well," Kraai began, "it all started just after the conclusion of what was known as the War of the Ember. Our leader, Zwart, was part of Finebeak's strike force, as was his entire family and friends. When the fight was over, he tried looking for them. And he found them... but not in the way he wanted them to be. They had perished – all of them. Zwart lost everyone he held dear in but one battle, one that wasn't even his. He grieved for weeks, and when he finally broke out of it, he had changed. He wanted revenge. Revenge at the owls who had cost him everything. So he took his time rallying as many crows he could possibly find. Many, if not all of the crows now under his proverbial banner have all lost family, friends, or both in the war."

"What about you?" Pelli asked. "Did you lose anyone in the war?"

"I was still in the egg during that time. My Mum told me a few weeks after I had hatched, that my Da was one of the casualties. So yes I have, but it seems I'm the only one who doesn't hold it against you. I learned more about the war and why it needed to be won, but Zwart and the rest didn't care about it. Nyra and the Pure Ones were finally gone, so in their eyes, all owls – Guardian, Pure One or otherwise – were to blame for the war in the first place."

"Do you know where their headquarters are?" Twilight asked. He and his brothers had rejoined the rest after they finished looking over the crows, to see if they could find any live ones. They didn't.

"Sadly, I don't. They were wary of my affinity towards owls, so they were hesitant to show me. After the last mobbing I participated in, they were finally going to initiate me. But when that other mobbing was about to take place, they turned on me after I spoke up. I know of a few small outposts scattered and concealed across the forest, but if you hit those, then the crows will know about their plans being exposed."

"Not to sound rude, but we STILL don't know what those plans are!" Cletus said with a slightly raised voice, which indicated he was slowly losing his patience.

Kraai sighed, and turned to Soren. "Your High- I mean, Soren... Zwart plans to attack the Great Tree at the end of your Moon Festival."

The owls gasped. Pelli almost fell off the rock in shock. She instantly thought of her beautiful daughters. "The Tree... Our daughters! Soren, think of our children! They've been through enough peril in their young lives already. I can't bear the thought of them getting beaten to a pulp by a band of crows!"

"They won't, dearest. You know they can hold their own ever since the War ended. Still, I will not have them endangered again."

"But Soren! The Moon Festival... that's tomorrow!" Finebeak exclaimed.

"Indeed," Kraai said. "Zwart believes that by the end of the festivities, the owls will be too tired or too intoxicated from your beverages to be able to fight back. So that's why we were on our way to find you, so you could alert the Tree in time, to call off the Festival... and prepare for another war."

"Oh, no. I will not cancel the Moon Festival on my life. We already had to cancel one of our holidays in the past once due to a previous enemy, and I will not allow history to repeat itself." Soren said determined.

"But, what will we do then, Soren?" Pelli asked.

"We'll go back this instant, and put the Tree on high alert. We will inform them of the impending attack, and count on the better judgment of the Guardians to hold back with their dancing and drinking enough to be able to fight."

Twilight nudged one of his brothers. "Sounds like you'll get to use that scimitar after all, eh?" Cletus' face lit up in elation, just like when Twilight told him about this mission the day before.

"Kraai, Ekster, Arend, Bix and Kerk, all of you are welcome to join us at the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, and join our plight in defending against the crow attack, should you choose to accept."

The five creatures perched in front of the Guardians chimed "I accept!" simultaneously.

"Very good. Everyone, fly out! We're going back to defend our home!"

All of the birds lifted themselves from the rocks, and with Soren and Pelli at the helm, they headed into the direction of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, quickly absorbed by the think, gray fog that stretched out across the Sea of Hoolemere. After a few minutes, Soren flew in between the Group, and addressed them.

"We will give the flight-able among you a crash course in the use of ice weapons. Kerk, how long until you'll be able to fly on your own?"

"If all goes well, that would be the day after tomorrow, sir," Kerk responded, once again being clutched in Arend's talons. "The last of my flight feathers are nearly fully grown. But just so you know, I've been given a gift and a curse while brooding in the egg, just like Mist."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know how Mist has bad wings because of the flecks? Well, they actually made my wings stronger. I will be able to fly at incredible speeds! In return, though, I can't hear as good as a Barn Owl should. Unless the sounds I'm hearing are close enough, I'm pretty much deaf."

While Kerk was talking, Twilight glanced back at Kraai, and grinned.

_Never going to happen, eh Shard? Well, I hope you had something tasty to eat, because you're about to eat it again..._

* * *

><p>Back on the beach from where the birds had just departed, there was movement. The crow that Bix knocked off the rock with her tail awoke from his unconscious state while Kraai was explaining to Soren and the rest what the crows are planning to do. From where he was, all he could see were some of his fallen brethren, being inspected by a few Great Grays. They didn't check him out, so they must've missed him. Rissel listened as the turnfeather known as Kraai revealed Zwart's plans to the Guardians.<p>

After they had left, he got up, and shook the mushy sand from his feathers. He headed back to his headquarters, hidden away in a huge cave at the base of one of the many mountains in Ambala. The entrance was perfectly hidden from view, due to the ivy growing in front of it. Every so often, the crows even had to weed out some of the ivy in order to locate their own base.

Weaving past the many sentries in the cave, Rissel came up to Zwart, who sat on top of a large stalagmite, looking over the preparations for the upcoming fight. The latter noticed the distress on Rissel's face.

"Ah, Rissel, I was wondering what took you. Where's your party? Have you found Kraai yet?"

"I'm afraid I have some very bad news, Zwart. The Guardians know everything."

"THEY WHAT?"

Zwart's yell turned the heads of all the crows close enough to hear it in his direction.

"My entire search party is dead, Zwart. Dead! We spotted Kraai and his new-found friends heading into the direction of the Sea of Hoolemere. We went after them, and they tried to lose us by flying into the forest. But we kept on their tail, by simply flying above the trees, never losing sight of them. When they came upon the coast, we hid ourselves, letting them believe they had lost us. Just after they lowered their guard, we attacked. It was all going well, until I was knocked out by a group of Guardians that appeared out of nowhere."

Rissel wasn't going to tell Zwart he got knocked out by a snake hitting him in the face. That alone was embarrassing enough.

"My party tried to put up a fight, but it was useless. Their weapons tore right through them. When I awoke, I could hear the Guardians talking to that traitor Kraai. And he told exactly what you are planning, and when you plan to execute it."

"I knew I should have kept everything under wraps..." Zwart angrily muttered to himself. He suddenly started to yell, making sure every crow in the cave heard his words. "I hope you're real proud of yourselves. I told you not to mob other birds randomly, for it was sure to attract the attention of the Guardians. And guess what? It did! The Guardians know we're coming for them. Now we'll have to change our plans, thanks to all of you numbskulls!"

Rissel dared to speak up. "Sir, are you suggesting we launch our attack now?"

"Before anything, I've got half a mind to make an example of you, just like Molod!" But then, an idea popped into his mind, calming him down. He grinned.

"No... I have a better idea."


	6. An Unexpected Reunion

**Chapter 6: An Unexpected Reunion**

After what seemed like forever, the Group escorted by the Guardians emerged from the fog covering the most of the Sea of Hoolemere.

Kraai couldn't believe his eyes. On the island in front of him was the biggest tree he had ever laid his eyes upon, at least ten times larger than the largest tree he's ever seen, and it only seemed to become taller the closer he came. Scores of owls, some of them far enough to appears as dots, flew around busy with one thing or another.

"Soren... I... This is the most gorgeous wonder of nature I have ever witnessed!" he said.

"It is quite a sight, isn't it? It's all fancied up right now, because of the upcoming Moon Festival. That's when we celebrate the night where the moon shines at its brightest. There's a legend tied to it, which we'll tell you later. For now, we have more pressing matters to attend to. If you'd follow me..."

Soren guided the birds towards the shore of the Island of Hoole, where they landed on the rocky beach.

"I must kindly ask you all to wait here for a while. I must meet with the Parliament – our ruling body – to inform them of the current state of affairs. After that, we will gather the Guardians in the Great Hollow, our meeting hall, if you will. When that happens, I will send someone to guide you there, so they can get your invaluable information from you directly. Are you up for that?"

Kraai gulped. "Gee, Soren, I... I wasn't expecting to address the Guardians when I woke up this morning. But if that is what you want, I'll do my best."

"Very well. Bix, I can take you to our infirmary already if you'd like, and get that wound looked at. Matron, our prime caretaker there, will patch you up in no time."

"Well, how can I refuse such a mighty kind offer?" Bix said.

"Oh, can I please come along, Soren? Because... well... My parents have been missing for two weeks. Bix is the closest thing to a family I have right now..." Kerk pleaded.

"Of course, Kerk, I can't deny you that. Cletus, would you mind bringing Kerk up, and Tavis, you do the same with Bix?"

"Right away, Soren," the brothers replied in unison.

"Thank you. Twilight, gather the rest of the Parliament, if you would. Pelli, Finebeak and I will go there now, awaiting their arrival. Please be swift, so we don't keep our guests waiting too long."

"You got it, Soren. It'll take but a jiffy."

Soren then turned to Kraai, Ekster and Arend as Twilight took off.

"What he said. Just hold tight. It shouldn't take too long." And Soren took off with Pelli and Doc Finebeak towards the Parliament Hollow.

"Well," Ekster said, "This is it. I still have a question for you though, Kraai."

"Yeah?" Kraai said absentmindedly, never taking his bewildered gaze off of the Great Tree.

"How come you never told us you knew Zwart's plans all along? You never mentioned them to us, or to Arend's parents, for that matter."

"Good point," Arend said. "First the crow feather, and now this. Don't you trust us? After all we've done for you, what we've been through?"

Kraai's vision broke away from the Tree, and in the direction of the magpie and bald eagle who were glaring at him. He knew the truth was bound to come out sometime, and it appeared that moment had arrived.

"It's not that, honestly. I just figured, if you knew what I knew, you wouldn't want anything to do with me anymore. I didn't want to traverse the kingdoms by myself, and I felt safer with you guys around me. If you would know everything, I was afraid you'd leave me alone, wanting nothing to do with me or the attack on the Tree, for better or worse."

"Are you kidding?" Ekster exclaimed. "You should have told us from the start! If the Guardians fall, the rest of the world is sure to follow. By keeping this from us, we might have wasted precious days! Still, we got here on time, if barely. But the fact that you used us as collateral, to put it bluntly... kind of rubs me the wrong way, to say the least."

"I know guys, but I honestly believed you'd ditch me, and..."

"Save it. As far as I'm concerned, this is strike two. Maybe over time I'll drop it, if we all live through this struggle," Arend deadpanned.

Kraai cast his sight down, taking in Arend and Ekster's words.

_They're right. I should have come clean with them from the beginning. Well, no matter. We're here now, and the Guardians will know everything well on time before Zwart and his cronies hit. Thank Corva we got here on time..._

* * *

><p>Twilight was swift indeed to gather the rest of the Parliament. Because of the urgency of the matter, he figured to hold off on visiting Shard to tell him he's going to regret making that promise. No, he wasn't going to tell Shard at all until the moment Kraai would appear before the Guardians in the Great Hollow. He could only imagine the look on his face...<p>

"Parliament, to order, if you please."

Soren's voice made Twilight snap back to the moment at hand.

"Did you talk to Streak?" Gylfie asked.

"No, we didn't, Gylf."

This caused a look of curiosity from all the owls who weren't involved in the latest mission.

"You didn't? Then, why did you come back? Did you learn anything at all?" Digger asked.

"That, we did. When we came to the shores of Ambala, we encountered a group of birds under attack from a mob of crows. They were a magpie, a bald eagle, a Barn Owl youngster with his nest-maid snake... and believe it or not, another crow."

The looks of curiousness intensified.

"Why would crows attack one of their own?" Otulissa asked.

"I'll tell you. After we fought the crows off, we had a chance to talk to the other birds and their snake. She's in the infirmary now, for she got wounded during the fight. Anyway, the crow told us he doesn't share the hostility his kind have for owls. He then divulged some illuminating information. That information was all we needed to know why the crows are stepping up their mobbings, so we didn't need to find Streak and Zan anymore. But my friends, what we have learned is most dire. The crows plan to attack the Great Tree just after the conclusion of the Moon Festival."

The curiosity flipped over to utter shock in a heartbeat.

"Indeed," Pelli said, "which means we don't have much time left. It is decided that the Moon Festival will not be canceled. The Striga already caused us to cancel one of our holidays, and we refuse to do so again. Once this meeting is concluded, we will gather all the Guardians in the Great Hollow and relay the information to them as well. Bubo, I strongly advise you to bring out the ice weapons and the battle claws from the armory as soon as possible, and prepare them for battle. Ask Cletus and Tavis for assistance if you desire."

"I will, Your Highness. Not that I wish for war, but those beauties are going to waste down there."

"Very well. Once the weapons are ready, spread them out across the Tree, but do stash them out of sight. It is still time for celebration, despite it all, and the pressure of an imminent battle is already unnerving enough. It won't help if the Guardians are seeing armaments everywhere while trying to have fun."

Bubo nodded.

"Alright everyone, time to make preparations. Sound the alarm, and gather every owl you can find in the Great Hollow. We will go and have the crow brought in, he has all the information. This meeting is adjourned."

* * *

><p>During the meeting, Tavis landed in the infirmary and extended a wing to the floor, allowing Bix to slither off gently, while Cletus sat Kerk down on the floor before landing himself.<p>

"Matron? Are you here? We've got a snake that needs medical attention."

Matron poked her head from behind a wall, and saw the band of three owls and a snake perched at the entrance.

"A wounded snake? Oh, my! Do come in, do come in. My name is Matron, the head caretaker of the Tree's infirmary. What are your names?"

"My name is Kerk."

"And I go by the name of Bix."

Matron could have sworn she heard the former name before, but couldn't quite put a talon on it, and dismissed the thought.

"Greetings! I wish we could have met under different circumstances. Come sit over here on this bed, if you please, Bix. Now tell me, where is your injury? Does it hurt?"

"Oh no Ma'am, not much. It's just some loose scales, about halfway down my back. See?"

Bix used her tail to point out the wound.

"Indeed, it doesn't look too bad. Still, any unattended wound could cause an infection, and you wouldn't want that. Let's see..."

"Don't mean to be rude, Matron, but Cletus and I better be on our way. I got a feeling we'll be needed elsewhere soon enough." Tavis said.

"Of course, Tavis. Thank you for bringing them in."

"No problem, ma'am." Tavis and Cletus then proceeded to exit the infirmary, and headed to the doors in front of the Parliament, to wait for the meeting inside to conclude and receive their next assignment on the spot.

While Matron treated Bix with Fleemus assisting her, Kerk started to look around. All of the beds in the infirmary were empty, save for one. A single owl was in the middle of the otherwise vacant room.

"I'm guessing there's not much for you to do these days, ma'am."

"Right you are, Kerk. Which is actually not a bad thing, considering. Times of peace are nice, but fragile. The past few weeks, I've had to tend to some of the messengers because they were attacked by crows. Ever since King Soren had them escorted by members of the search-and-rescue chaw, it's been pretty quiet. That Barn Owl over there has been in here for two weeks now. She's the only patient I had before Bix here, and she's not even a Guardian. Shard, the second-in-command of the search-and-rescue chaw, found her unconscious somewhere in Ambala."

_Barn Owl... two weeks... in Ambala... _Kerk's eyes widened as far as he possibly could after putting two and two together, and rushed over the owl. He recognized his mother right away.

"Mum? It's me, Kerk! Mum!" Kerk was overjoyed to be reunited with his mother, but that joy melted like snow in the blazing sun when he didn't get any kind of response.

Kerk's actions jogged Matron's memory. "Oh, my! Now I remember!" Kerk looked at Matron.

"What are you talking about, Matron? What's wrong with my Mum?"

"She's unconscious, dear. Has been from the moment she was found." Matron turned to Fleemus. "Fleemus, go get Shard. He'll want to see this!"

As Fleemus rocketed out to find Shard, Bix slithered next to Illia on the other side of her bed.

"Pardon me, ma'am, but you said you remembered something?"

"Oh yes, I did. Yesterday, we thought she was about to wake up, because she seemed to be talking. Unfortunately, she was only being delirious. She did manage to say a few names, 'Targas' and 'Kerk'. That's what I remembered just now. She was saying your name, dear."

"Targas? That's my Da's name! Where is he? Is he okay?"

"I... um... I suggest you wait for Shard to arrive, dear. He's the one who found your Mum and Da, so it's best to hear it from him."

Kerk didn't like waiting one bit, but if this Shard individual had all the details, then he'd be willing to pay that small price.

* * *

><p>Shard headed to the infirmary as fast as he could. Fleemus had just delivered him the incredible news that the son of the injured female Barn Owl he had recovered had arrived there. He had promised himself to break the news about the demise of Targas, once Kerk's caring father, and Illia's loving mate, and prepared himself to do so.<p>

Slightly panting, he landed in the hollow.

"I got here as soon as I could, Matron!"

His booming voice made all the animals gathered around Illia's bed turn around to face him.

"Ah, Shard, glad you could make it here instantly," Matron said as Shard came closer. "Allow me to introduce you to Kerk, the son of this poor creature, and their house-maid snake, Bix. Everyone, this is Shard."

"Hello Kerk, hello Bix," Shard said as he nestled himself at the foot end of Illia's bed. "I wish we could have met under different circumstances."

"Likewise, Shard," Kerk replied halfheartedly. "Please, can you tell me what happened to my Da?"

"I'll get to that, sport. First, I must know, though. Would you mind telling me how you got here?"

Kerk started to get aggravated. This owl knew what happened to his father, but still had the audacity to keep that knowledge from him until this... interrogation was over? Bix sensed his anger though, and tried to settle him down.

"Kerk, dearie, just tell him. The sooner you tell him, the sooner he'll tell us what we want to know. Remember, this is the owl that found your Mum, so he deserves at least that."

"Alright, Bix," Kerk sighed. "My friends and I were making our way to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree with some important information. Soren said he'll announce this information soon in the Great Hollow. Anyway, my friends found Bix and me in our hollow, starving, only a few days ago, because my parents were missing for almost two weeks now. We were on our way here when we were attacked by a group of crows. Luckily, Soren and some more Guardians showed up, and they took care of them. Bix was injured though, so that's when we were brought here for her to get patched up. And that's when I saw my Mum here."

* * *

><p>She had her wings nicely folded, and yet it felt like she was flying. The world was pitch black to Illia. Everywhere she looked, she was staring into an infinite void.<p>

_Is this what glaumora is like? Not quite what I expected, honestly. It's so cold and lonesome... Yet, why do I keep hearing voices? Where are they coming from?_

The voices echoed from all around her, coming apparently from nowhere and yet anywhere. She could barely make out any of the words being spoken.

"_... go get Shard ... remembered something … few names … how you got here … my parents were ..."_

She recognized that last voice she was hearing. It resonated all around her. She looked around again and again, fruitlessly looking for its source, until she noticed a white speck. It was no larger than a faint star, millions of miles away, gleaming in the dark night sky. Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled towards the speck. She panicked, but soon felt that panic fade away as feelings of comfort, warmth and happiness engulfed her. She noticed the voice becoming more clear, and the speck growing larger and larger, until its shine was so overwhelming, she needed to close her eyes from its intenseness.

When she opened them up again, she was staring at a brown wall. Quickly taking in her surroundings, she determined she was on her back, and was actually looking at a ceiling. She could barely make out the shapes of two creatures on either side of her. Lifting her head slightly revealed two more at the foot end of the bed she was laying in. She tried to talk, but could only mumble incoherently. This caught the attention of the surrounding creatures.

"Mum? Mum! She's awake! By Glaux, it's a miracle!"

She got her barely-caught breath knocked out of her as the creature on her right plopped down upon her, squirming its appendages around her head.

"I was so worried I was never going to see you again!"

She finally realized who was talking to her, and now nearly squeezing her to death. It was Kerk, her only son. She lifted her own wings and wrapped them around him, returning the hug. After a few moments, she started to flail her talons a little.

"Uhm, Kerk? You might want to let go of her," Matron pleaded. "You're choking her."

Kerk hesitantly did so. "Sorry, Mum."

"...'S okay," she managed to say, regaining some control over her ability of speech.

Now it was Bix' turn to talk. "Ma'am, I'm so relieved you're fine. We were worried sick about you! Whatever has befallen you?"

"Thank you, Bix," Illia said, her voice still straining to find the right tone. "Good to see you too. I... don't quite remember what happened, really... Uhm, where am I? This doesn't look like Ambala."

Shard walked up next to Bix. "Ma'am, my name is Shard, and over there is Matron. You're currently in the Great Ga'Hoole Tree. My party and I found you unconscious on the forest floor of Ambala while on a mission. We transported you here to have you looked after. You didn't react to any of our known treatments, but we never gave up on you. *I* never gave up on you. Your son here arrived mere minutes ago, and it would seem his voice stirred you from your slumber."

"Thank you, Shard," she replied. "I think... Something's coming back to me... My mate and I were flying around the forest, looking for a meal... There was... a deafening cry, and we saw crows coming our way. Targas, my mate, flew in between me and them to protect me, but there were so many of them... I can't remember anything after that."

She gasped. "Targas! Where's my mate? Is he alright? Glaux, tell me he's alright!" she shouted, checking the other beds for any sign of him.

Shard sighed. "There's no easy way to tell you this, ma'am... But I'm afraid your mate, your father" - he turned to Kerk before turning back to Illia - "didn't survive the crow attack."

If Illia wasn't reclined in a bed, she would have collapsed on the floor. She shouted several words of denial, hardly grasping the knowledge her mate was gone forever, as tears streamed freely over her moon-shaped face. Kerk moved in for another hug, one of consolation, as he too lost control over his tear ducts. Bix slithered closer to Illia, resting her head against hers.

Shard moved a bit backward, to give the grieving family a moment to gather their bearings. He looked at Matron, silently agreeing that this had to be done sometime. Though the fractured family of Barn Owls didn't deserve this, it's best they know it as soon as possible.

Once Kerk and Illia regained enough of their composure, Shard spoke up again.

"Your mate's remains were next to you where we found you, ma'am. It would seem he sacrificed his life to save you."

Illia sniffed, breaking a smile, happy to know her mate loved and protected her until the very end.

"I took the liberty of transporting his remains to the Great Tree as well. They are currently being preserved in the ice weapon armory, so you can give him a proper Final Ceremony for when the time comes."

"Thank you, Shard," Illia said between sobs. "We owe you so much."

"I'm just doing my duty as a Guardian, ma'am. You owe me nothing."

Suddenly, a particular series of hoots resonated across the Tree. Shard turned to Matron.

"That's the sign to gather in the Great Hollow at once," he said, slightly confused. "I guess we better go, Matron."

"I can't leave my patients on their own, Shard. You know that. You and Fleemus go ahead, I'll hear from you later what's going on."

"You got it, Matron." Shard turned to the grieving family. "I have to go for a while. But before I do, just know I'm very sorry for your loss. I promise you, we'll get the one responsible for it and bring him to justice.

The heart-broken family merely nodded at Shard before he and Fleemus headed to the Great Hollow.

* * *

><p>Kraai, Ekster and Arend were still waiting in awkward silence when a series of hoots sounded, announcing the gathering in the Great Hollow.<p>

"I guess that's our cue," Ekster said.

"Yeah, 'our' cue," Arend responded sarcastically.

Kraai was about to speak up when a Pygmy Owl came up to them.

"Hi! You must be Ekster, Kraai and Arend. Pleasure to meet you all! My name is Florentina, and our king Soren has asked me to escort you to our Great Hollow." She turned to Kraai. "He is going to announce that you've got something important to tell them. I hope you don't get nervous in front of crowds."

"Uh... Just out of curiosity, Florentina... How big a crowd are we talking about?" Kraai asked.

"Oh, about five hundred or so," she replied sheepishly.

Kraai's heart sank as his beak fell open. "Five hundred? Well, consider me nervous now!"

"Oh, don't be silly. You'll do great! Come on now, you don't want to keep Soren waiting, huh?"

With that, Florentina lofted into flight, the crow, magpie and eagle following in her wake.

* * *

><p>The Great Hollow was filled to the brim with Guardians of various shapes and sizes, chattering away endlessly . Every owl wondered what could be so important to be summoned to this place, but they knew that whatever it was, it's important. Some were expecting bad news, others thought Soren and Pelli were going to give a speech about the nearing Moon Festival. All the preparations were as good as complete, and the festivities on the following day were sure to be remembered for months to come.<p>

A revered silence fell as the Parliament members entered the room, followed by the unembered monarchs, as they emerged from behind a curtain. Only Bubo was missing, having taken Tavis and Cletus to the armory, to prepare the weapons for battle. All eyes turned to Soren as he perched himself on a branch protruding from the north wall. It was strong enough for two, so Pelli quickly sat beside him. Their three daughters sat on the front row, unknowing what their parents were about to tell them.

Behind the curtain from which the ruling owls just emerged from, Kraai was awaiting his turn to come out. He was shifting around nervously, and would be sweating profusely if birds had that ability. Nobody but the Tree's ruling body and Florentina knew he was there. If any of the owls were to see him and not know about his good intentions, he surely was done for before he could even so much as twitch.

Before Soren began his speech, Shard managed to make his way to the front line, coming to a halt in front of Twilight.

"Cap, what's going on? Is there trouble brewing? Besides the crow attacks, I mean," he whispered.

"You'll find out soon enough, Shard. Uh, where's Bryony?" Twilight whispered back, bending over toward Shard.

"Brooding the eggs, of course. It won't be long now before they hatch. She didn't want to leave them, so she told me to attend the gathering and tell her what's going on once we're done here."

"Makes sense. By the way, remember that promise you made yesterday?"

"Eating my own pellet if a crow made it to the Tree? Yeah, what about it?"

"No reason," Twilight said with a smirk.

_Does he mean... Nah, it can't be. Can it?_

"My fellow Guardians," Soren finally began, "we thank you all for gathering here on such short notice. If you happen to know of anyone that could not be present, please relay the information you are about to learn over to them at your earliest convenience."

"We have been informed," Pelli took over, "that the time of peace, obtained after the War of the Ember, is in dire peril once again."

"You may have heard of the increase of crow attacks happening in the past few weeks. We were clueless as for what reason these attacks started to occur again. Today, we have discovered that reason from, I'll be honest, an unlikely source."

"One of their own, a crow that goes by the name of Kraai, has defected from his brethren. Earlier today, we had set out on a mission to learn more from our friend, the bald eagle Streak, who recently became a victim of one of these attacks as well. However, when we came to the shore of Ambala, we encountered this crow and his friends while they were under siege from a large group of his own kin. After we helped them defeat the crows, the one named Kraai told us all about what is going on."

Twilight stole a glance at Shard, and saw an unnerving look on his face. Shard looked back at him, as if to ask _There's a crow in the Great Tree, isn't there?_ Twilight simply nodded, a wicked grin across his face.

"Honorable Guardians," Soren continued, "we have brought this crow with us for him to directly share this information with all of you. I know many of you might harbor some hostility toward his species, but right now, this particular crow is here as a friend and an ally of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, and we request that you treat him as such."

Soren and Pelli looked to their left, signaling to Kraai to step out and reveal himself from behind the curtain that was shielding him from the crowd. He was hesitant to do so, for he was still scared to speak before an audience that might hate, maybe even spill his guts. He received a gentle nudge from behind. He looked back to see Florentina motioning for him to step out. Kraai took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and started to step forward.

The closer he came to the leaders of the Tree, the more he felt the eyes of the onlookers piercing through him like ice-cold lances. Never before had he witnessed so many owls in one place. Just a fraction of their numbers could tear him to pieces in the blink of an eye.

Soren signaled with his wing for Kraai to sit in front of them, which he did. Soren could tell he was terrified, and leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

"Calm yourself, Kraai. They have all taken a sacred oath. Attacking you without a valid reason violates that oath, and they will be excommunicated if they do. You have nothing to worry about. Just tell them what you told us, and if they ask any questions, answer them truthfully."

Kraai gulped before finally speaking up.

"Uhm... Greetings, honorable Guardians. As the royal Highness already stated, my name is Kraai, and I'm here in good faith to warn you all for an impending attack."

Kraai continued to explain the reasons why his former leader Zwart was organizing this attack. The few Guardians that asked questions were answered truthfully, just like Soren told him to do. When Kraai had finished speaking, Pelli took over again.

"As we speak, we have tasked Bubo and Twilight's brothers, Tavis and Cletus, with the preparation of the ice weapons and battle claws, which will be distributed shortly. Soren and I have no intention of canceling this year's Moon Festival. As you all know, we already had one of our annual festivities canceled by an enemy, and we will not stand for history repeating itself. Therefor, we must ask you to still enjoy the festivities, but in modesty. The crows will count on us getting too tired from dancing or too intoxicated from consuming bingle juice in order to have an advantage against us. It would be very likely for the crows to attack at the break of dawn, so again, celebrate modest."

"Thank you all again for attending this gathering. Please remember to recover your weapons from Bubo, and stash them somewhere out of sight, but still close at talon for when the siege begins."

Soren and Pelli lighted down from the branch, landing behind Kraai, who turned to face them.

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," he said.

"Indeed not. You did fine, Kraai, just fine. You know, we never properly thanked you for this invaluable information. Many of these owls may very well owe you their lives. We might never have known what hit us when the crows would attack. So for that, from the bottom of our hearts and gizzards, we thank you."

"You are most welcome, your Majesties. I could not let such a massacre come to pass, even if it means the demise of many of my own. I truly hope we can all live on in harmony from then on."

"As do we, Kraai. As do we."

As Kraai, Soren and Pelli walked back towards Arend and Ekster, Twilight went up to Shard.

"So. What did you have to eat last time?" he asked.

"Uhm... I was only kidding, you know, Cap? I honestly didn't think there would ever be a day a crow would be allowed – welcomed, even – in the Great Tree, let alone so soon."

"Hut tut tut, a promise is a promise, and I said I'd hold you to it. Truth be told, I didn't expect such a day to arrive at all either, but that's what happened. I'll tell you what though. I'll give you the chance to consume something tasty. That way, your pellet won't taste so awful."

"Gee, thanks Cap."


	7. A Time For Celebration

**Chapter 7: A Time For Celebration**

Dusk broke over the Northern Kingdoms, stealing away the light as the sun sank out of sight to warm an unknown part of the world. With each passing minute, more and more of the Tree's inhabitants were roused from their slumber. Few were worried about the upcoming battle. The Guardians had bested an incredible foe known as the Pure Ones, not to mention their allies and dark magic – or as Otulissa would call it in some areas, "clever use of physics" – so an assault from a lesser foe like crows, whose only strength lied in numbers, cause little concern to most. Crows didn't even use weapons. The only advantage they would have over the Guardians would be the daze inflicted upon the owls from the festivities this night would bring. An advantage now nullified by the alert of a crow turnfeather.

And now, the night of the Moon Festival was upon them.

The families of the Guardians, whose homes lay in the forests surrounding the Sea of Hoolemere and beyond, were invited to the Great Tree to celebrate the Festival with them. They, too, were informed of the impending attack, and many of them were willing to assist against the crows. Those unable to fight, like the young and old, were to be moved out of sight for when the crows would arrive.

Otulissa had brought the non-owl visitors up to speed of how the Moon Festival came to be. An aging owl named Vilis struck a deal with a spider mage named Zuzanna. She promised to restore him to his former youth and vitality by means of a powerful potion, if he removed two of the three moons that dotted the sky. With her assistance, Vilis held up his end up the bargain, and in turn, so did Zuzanna. But Vilis had a mate, Ilona. She still appeared withered and old, while her mate looked like in his prime again. So one night, Ilona secretly administered herself a swig of the elixir.

Sadly, Ilona was unaware of Zuzanna's instructions. Due to the elixir's potency, it was meant to be consumed in very small doses – no more than one drop a year. In the excitement of her own rejuvenation, she flew all the way up to the remaining moon above, where the effects of the elixir's misuse subsided. Vilis worriedly consulted Zuzanna about Ilona's disappearance, and there he learned of his mate's error. He also learned that due to her misuse of the mixture, she was refused to return back to the earth below forever, which broke Vilis' heart. Feeling pity for the heart-broken owl, Zuzanna permitted Vilis to visit Ilona once a year on the moon where she sat trapped.

It is on that night, when the moon shines at its brightest and roundest, Vilis would visit his beloved, and the owls below would light lanterns to guide Vilis back home.

As the night progressed, the Tree got livelier by the hour, song and the thrums of having a good time resonating around the tree. Until the time came for the ultimate get-together, once again in the Great Hollow, the only difference being only fun, treats and dancing to be found, instead of dire news.

The hollow was cheerfully decorated, with colorful streamers and garlands across the walls and suspended between two points across the room, all of them safely out of reach from the plentiful candles lighting up the whole hollow. Milkberry tarts, cakes and stews were merrily distributed, while the availability of bingle juice and milkberry wine and mead were limited, due to the upcoming struggle. That didn't break the joy for the owls though, who happily chatted and frolicked the night away. A few owls even dared to break into song, even though many of them couldn't hold a candle to Madame Plonk's voice.

Soren and Pelli, accompanied by their daughters and perching in the same place they sat the evening before, overlooked the festivities as they progressed, and smiled.

"Looks like every owl is having a good time out there, love." Soren commented.

"I couldn't agree more, dear. You'd almost forget we're heading into battle later. Speaking of which, I hope they follow our advice and keep the drinking to a minimum."

"Nothing to be worried about, I'm sure. The Guardians are smart enough to know when to say when."

"True, but still, I had the available amount of liquor reduced. Anyway, how's Kerk holding up? Did Shard break the news already?"

"Yes he did, yesterday even, as a matter of fact. Shard insisted he should tell Kerk and his mother about the demise of their father and mate himself."

"And how did they take it?"

"Same as everybody else does when they lose a loved one, I suppose. Glaux knows I felt like a piece of my scroomsaw was torn out every time I lost someone. My parents, Coryn, Ezylryb... Even Kludd. He was still my brother, despite it all. Not to sound insensitive, my dearest, but I sincerely hope that when our time comes, we go together, like Boron and Barran did. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, just like you couldn't if you lost me."

"Oh Soren, don't say that. I don't even want to think about it! There's still so much to see and do, and I want to have you by my side every step of the way. Not to mention we have to see our girls... ahem... continue the bloodline, so to speak."

"Ah, you mean grand-owlets," Soren said with a smirk, trying to prevent his daughters from listening in on their conversation. "Well, there's plenty of time for that later. First, we have to see this night through."

"Say, now that you mention it, where are our non-owl guests, anyway?"

"Twilight has taken them to the armory, to give them a crash course in the use of ice weapons. We may have the upper hand now thanks to Kraai, but the more able-bodied fighters we can muster, the better the odds, and the less likely we drop in numbers."

Picking up on their conversation, Bash turned to face her parents.

"Mum, Da, can you please stop talking about warfare and death? I liked it better when you were talking about us having owlets."

Bash' sisters joined in facing their parents with an assenting look, to which Soren and Pelli locked eyes with each other with slight embarrassment, and let forth a hearty chuckle.

* * *

><p>"That's it, Kraai, you got it! Now, get ready to parry, just like I showed you. A weapon can always be parried, no matter its size."<p>

Bubo swung his ice scimitar in the direction of Kraai, only to have it stopped dead in its track by the latter, wielding an ice short sword in his right talon. In the heat of the moment, Kraai spun around, kicking the scimitar away from him in the process, and thrusted the sword forward, coming to a halt mere inches from the face of a disoriented Bubo.

"Wow. And I don't say that very often. Either I'm getting old, or you're a natural at wielding weapons. Perhaps you were an owl in a previous life?" Bubo said, gently pushing Kraai's armed talon down. Kraai was panting from the exercises, and was equally amazed at how he swung his weapon around like a professional.

"I don't know, honestly. It feels like I've been doing this all my life. It's like I'm... acquainted with weapons all along. Who knows, you might be right."

"Glaux works in mysterious ways, Kraai. He might have a special plan for you."

"Why me? I'm just a lowly crow. Besides, our Higher Being is known as Corva. Maybe she's got a plan for me."

"Well, every species has his own Higher Being, but some say they're all one and the same. I don't know if any of it's true, but in the end, it's not up to me to decide. We'll see when our time comes. For now, you're doing an excellent job at postponing that time for quite a while, I'd say."

"Thanks, Bubo. But let's be honest, we have a good teacher."

"Speaking of which, let's see how Ekster and Arend are putting up."

Just like Kraai, Ekster's weapon of choice was the ice short sword, given their similar build. Not to mention this weapon had a lot more potential lethality than her thimble. Arend, however quickly found his ideal weapon in the form of an ice scimitar, on top of his already fearsome claws and sharp beak. He would be a formidable foe even without the use of conventional weaponry. Still, Bubo figured it would be for the best. Crows don't use weapons, but their numbers are overwhelming, so every edge in battle they could gain was another step closer to victory.

He was sparring with Ekster until Bubo came up.

"Alright, hold on a spell. What say you we all practice with someone of the same size? Ekster, you train with Kraai while Arend and I do the same."

"Sure thing, Bubo," Ekster said. "Better watch out, Kraai. Just because I'm a lady doesn't mean I can't hold my own."

Kraai laughed a little. "Oh, no offense, but I don't think you'll be able to-"

"Yaaaah!"

Kraai just had enough time to bring up his sword to block Ekster's incoming attack, barely preventing his head being sliced in half, or at least it seemed that way.

"Whoa! Careful! You almost took my head off."

"I would've stopped in time if you didn't react. But an enemy won't if you keep your guard down like that. So pay-" she spun around, this time swinging the weapon towards Kraai's lower body, only to have it parried again by him "-attention."

This time, Kraai responded by throwing a swing her way himself. Taken aback by this sudden move, she took to the air, a move Kraai copied. They kept going back and forth, swinging their weapons at each other. Many of their attacks were blocked and parried, but the ones that weren't and would normally wound one another, were halted before the blows could actually deal some damage.

After a few minutes of training, Kraai and Ekster both swung their weapons at equal height and speed, joining them together and keeping them locked as if in an extended talon-wrestling competition. They inched their faces closer and closer together, eyes full of determination locking with each other. Their swords were shaking from the strength they had to put up, since neither of them was willing to yield.

But then something happened that Kraai never expected to happen.

Ekster quickly leaned forward, touching his beak with her own.

Kraai was so dumbfounded by this sudden move, he faltered. Ekster took advantage of this by shoving his weapon away and, curling her unarmed talons up into a fist, punched Kraai on the side of his face. Kraai fumbled his sword, and fell flat on his back on the floor. Given they were in the armory, his fall wasn't a high one, but still high enough to knock the air out of him.

Arend and Bubo were so focused on their own training, they jumped when a pile of black feathers landed with a thud next to them. They looked up to see a triumphant magpie heading down. Bubo dropped his scimitar, and brought Kraai's back up into a sitting position.

"Kraai? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Kraai coughed a few times before he could speak. Ekster had landed next to him before he did.

"I'll... be fine, Bubo... Thanks for asking." He turned to Ekster. "What was that all about? Why did you punch me?"

Ekster smirked. "Oh, let's just say I was using my feminism to my advantage." She blinked as she said this, leaving Kraai a hidden message in her sentence.

_Does she mean... she likes me? Oh Corva, seriously? But... How... What do I do? I've never known someone with such feelings towards me..._

"Okay, I think that's enough training for tonight," Bubo said. "It looks like everyone knows how to handle his or her weapon well enough to be able to defend themselves from the crow assault. I can't wait for you to put your new-found knowledge to good use. Now, what do you say we move topside and see if there's any milkberry tarts left?" _I also hope there's at least some mead left too..._ he mused.

* * *

><p>Shard and Bryony were sitting in their own hollow, not participating in tonight's festivities. For they had two good reasons: the eggs Bryony had been looking after so precariously were rocking back and forth vigorously, the moment of hatching mere minutes away.<p>

"This is it, Shard. The moment we've been waiting for ever since they were brought into this world. I'm dying of anticipation!"

"Me too, my love, me too. I can't wait to find out what they are! Two sons, two daughters or one of each: it doesn't matter to me, we'll love them equally no matter what."

"Right you are, Shard. The notion of becoming a parent is indescribable. Nothing can beat this feeling."

"I agree, dearest. You know, I came into contact with death far too often – Targas being the latest – but now, it feels like such a blessing to witness new life being born into this world."

Bryony was about to speak up, when a tiny crack was audible. The soon-to-be parents looked down to see the right egg showing a tiny crevice in the ivory-colored shell, which slowly but surely expanded across the entire egg. Not a moment after the chick inside completed this task, so too did the chick inside the left egg copy its sibling.

Shard's gizzard was about to burst from the euphoria building inside of him, as the two newest additions to life plopped down from their oval prisons. The chicks were slimy, naked and – truthfully – a bit ugly, but to Shard and Bryony, they were the most gorgeous things they have ever laid their eyes upon.

"Shard, look," Bryony said with tears of joy in her eyes, "they're a boy and a girl. We have a son and a daughter."

Shard couldn't take it anymore. He turned around, flew outside the hollow and started doing loops, barrel rolls and several other tricks, while shouting "I'M A FATHER! WOOHOO! I'M A DA!", not caring if other owls gave him weird looks.

After giving in to his desire to shout it out to the world, he flew back into the hollow, only to see Bryony plucking some down from her chest and stuffing it neatly around their owlets. She then nestled herself in between them, drying them up with her warmth as they sat comfortably under her wings. This time, Shard's tear ducts sprang into action as he moved closer to his mate and, still barely being able to grasp it, _his chicks_.

"Shard? What do you say we keep a piece of their eggs as keepsakes?" Bryony asked.

Shard turned at the piece of egg glued to the southern wall of his own hollow. That piece meant the world to him, as it was the only physical item he possessed of his own parents, Grettir and Lygeia. They were brutally murdered by the Pure Ones mere moments after he was born. The Guardians rescued him from sharing their fate, and brought him to the Great Ga'Hoole Tree, where he was given his name due to a shard of the egg he hatched from, still sticking to his coat.

The same shard now decorating his hollow.

"That's a wonderful idea, dearest. It's a shame we don't have a piece of your egg as well."

"Oh, don't worry about that, Shard. It's just symbolic."

Shard moved to break off a piece of the eggs his chicks just hatched from, and threw the rest out of the hollow. Just as he turned around to place the pieces near his own, a voice came from outside. "Hey, watch it! Those nearly hit me!"

Fragments in talon, Shard hopped over to the hollow entrance. He was about to stick his head outside, when the head of a snake appeared from below. This startled Shard enough to fall backwards.

"Bix! Oh my, I'm so sorry. I had no idea you were out there."

"It's quite alright, sir. No harm done."

"Oh, good," Shard said as he clambered back to his talons. "What brings you here? Aren't you having fun at the Moon Festival?"

"With all due respect, sir, I'm in no mood for celebration. I'm sure you understand why."

It didn't take Shard long before he realized what she meant.

"Oh, yeah... Targas... How are Kerk and Illia holding up?"

"No offense, sir, but what do you think? They're in grief, of course."

"I'm sorry, Bix. I should have known better."

"No, sir, I should be the one apologizing. It was a perfectly normal question, and I shouldn't have snapped."

"That's alright. Like you said, no harm done. So, uhm, what brings you here?"

Bix shifted her head in the direction of Bryony and her chicks, before moving it back towards Shard.

"Where life ends in one place, new life begins elsewhere. The whole Tree heard you exclaim your happiness when your eggs hatched, so I'm here to offer my services as a nest-maid snake to your newly expanded family."

"Really? But, what about your other family?" Bryony asked.

"Kerk has his mother back, and he's all grown up now. An independent flier. They don't need me anymore, at least not as much as they used to. Even though I can still make myself useful to them, I figured I could make myself much more useful to you. It's the least I can do as repayment for reuniting Kerk with his mother, and not to worry, I'll still keep in touch with them."

Shard exchanged looks with Bryony, before shifting his gaze to his young'uns. He looked at Bryony again, with a look that said _I'm okay with it if you are._ Bryony nodded.

"Bix," Shard said as he turned back to look into her empty eye sockets, "we would be honored to have you as our own nest-maid snake. We humbly accept your services."

"Oh, thank you, sir, madam. I'll do my utmost to nurse your little ones into big, strong, handsome owls you can be proud of."

"You're welcome, Bix. And please, no more need for formalities. Feel free to call us by our names."

"Very well. Do the young ones have names yet?"

Bryony looked down at her chicks. They had dried up somewhat, tufts of gray-colored down appearing all over their tiny, fragile bodies. One of them already started opening its eyes, while the other faintly began to squeak. "As a matter of fact, they don't. Come to think of it, we haven't even thought of any names for them even when they were still in their eggs. Shard, any ideas?"

"Uh... No, not really. What do you say we sleep on it, and think of some tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a plan to me."

Suddenly, a low growl was heard, originating from Shard's belly. "Uh oh, sounds like the inner bear awoke from its hibernation," he said jokingly. "I'll go up and see if there's any treats from the Moon Festival left. I'll also see if I can find any bugs for our chicks' First Insect ceremony."

"Alright, Shard. Hurry back."

With that, Shard flew out the hollow while Bix slithered closer to Bryony, to get better acquainted with her new subjects of care-taking. Shard was halfway to the Great Hollow when he heard something swoosh by below. He looked down, and saw an owl moving faster than he had ever seen flying across the sea, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.

_That was Kerk! Twilight told me he was blessed with a special gift, but I didn't know what that was... until now. Wow, with speed like that, he could replace the entire Joss Corps and be done with their work before First Black! Something tells me they won't like that, though. I wonder where he's off to?_

* * *

><p>The time had come for Kerk and Illia to say their goodbyes to Targas, at least until his Final Ceremony. All across the Tree, mostly in the Great Hollow, owls were celebrating the Festival of the Moon, but for these two Barn Owls, this was no moment for celebration. Florentina, the Pygmy Owl who first guided Kraai, Ekster and Arend into the Tree, now volunteered to guide Kerk and Illia to the ice armory, where the remains of Targas were preserved for him to receive a proper Final Ceremony.<p>

"Now, I must warn you," Florentina said. "Because Targas has been stored at sub-zero temperatures, he'll look different than you'll remember him. He'll have patches of frost all over him. Just so you know."

"We understand, Florentina," Illia said. She wasn't quite capable of flying yet, so she had to resort to walking, and even that was a challenge. She had to use a sturdy stick tucked underneath her left wing in order to maintain her balance. Kerk walked on her right, to support her when needed.

It seemed to take forever to travel from the infirmary to the armory. Every time Kerk thought it couldn't be much further, Florentina took them into a tunnel that seemed longer than the previous one. Eventually, they came to a set of blue doors, large enough to let five Great Grays through at once. Bubo, who had wrapped up his training with the non-owl guests, stood in front of the doors, expecting the arrival of the grieving Barn Owl family.

"Bubo, meet Kerk and Illia. They're here for... you know..."

"I know, Florentina. Thank you for guiding them. I'll take it from here."

"Okay, Bubo. See you topside." She turned around, facing Kerk and Illia one more time before taking off. "For what it's worth... I'm sorry this happened. May Glaux watch over you, and guide Targas into glaumora."

Kerk and Illia simply nodded, after which Florentina took off, leaving them with the corpulent Great Horned Owl, who opened the doors for them.

"Bundle up, it's chilly in here."

Kerk inched closer to Illia, who wrapped her right wing over him. Due to the upcoming battle which was mere hours away, the walls of the armory were mostly empty, save for a few weapons in need of repair. Bubo guided them to a cold, steel box tucked in the corner of the armory. He turned around.

"In this box, you will find the remains of your mate and father. I'm sure Florentina warned you it's not going to be pretty. So I'll give you the time to decide if you don't want to go through with it after all, or to steel yourself if you do."

Kerk and Illia looked at each other, understanding what they were thinking as if they were one being.

"We want to see him, Bubo. He gave his life in order to save ours, and we want to say goodbye properly. We owe him that much before we lay him in the wings of Glaux."

"Very well. Give me a moment." Bubo walked over to the box, opened the slide bolt lock on it, and removed the lid covering the insides. Cold steam spilled from the box, dissipating into thin air.

"I'll be just outside the armory doors, when you're done."

"Thank you... Bubo." Kerk said. With that, Bubo strutted past them and moved out of sight, to give Kerk and Illia some privacy.

Illia turned to her son. "Kerk, darling. This is going to be one of the most difficult moments one could ever go through. Neither of us is going to like what we're about to see, but we have to do it to close this chapter. This image will be with you forever, so try to remember what your father looked like before. Be brave, be strong. It's what he would've wanted."

"Okay, Mum. I'll do my best."

They inched closer and closer to the dreaded box, until they could finally see inside.

Tears immediately filled their eyes as soon as they saw Targas. He was obviously frozen, but the wounds he had suffered from his last fight were still visible. Many cuts and bruises, nearly all of them accompanied by a dark purple hue which used to be blood, covered his entire body. His beak agape and eyes shut tight, his face was halfway covered in the same dark purple hue.

Despite his best efforts, Kerk couldn't handle what he saw. He broke away from his mother's embrace, nearly causing her to fall over, and dashed towards the entrance. Finding the first way out into the night sky he could find, he flew off at his incredible speed into the air, away from his father, away from his mother, away from the Tree. Bubo, who was standing right where he said he would be, had to hold on to his ear tufts from the object that rocketed past him. He barely had time to identify that object as Kerk, flying off at the fastest speed he had ever witnessed in his life. Moments later, Illia came limping out of the armory sobbing, more often than not almost losing her balance.

"Kerk! Where are you? *sniff* Come back! Bubo, where has he gone to?"

Bubo could only extend his wing to point towards a hole in the bark, through which Illia could only see the darkness of the night and a tiny speck, growing smaller and smaller by the second.

* * *

><p>Upstairs in the Great Hollow, Blythe was nervously pacing back and forth, for her moment to sing was drawing nigh. It started to irritate her two sisters.<p>

"Blythe, just relax! There's nothing to worry about. Remember last time you sang, at the Harvest Festival? You had all the owls eating out of your claws, even Madame Plonk!" Bell said.

"Yeah, but that was an easy song. This is something totally different. What if they don't like it?"

"Oh, Blythe," Bash said, "They will, trust me. Have you noticed how everything has changed ever since the defeat of the Pure Ones? Changes are made, and everyone adapts. Same thing with songs. It's called progression. You'll do fine, honest!"

Just then, Madame Plonk stepped out into the center of the room. Knowing what was about to happen, all the owls around the distinguished Snowy Owl spontaneously hushed.

"Good evening, one and all. I sincerely hope you are having a most wonderful evening. Even though the night won't end as we hoped it would, it is still the time for celebration. A time to enjoy yourselves, with your friends and family. Allow me to add something to that time of joy."

That was the cue for the harp guild snakes, who prepared themselves to do their thing and sent forth divine chords of audio into the atmosphere. It became even more divine when Madame Plonk added her splendid voice to the package.

_ You always see us_

_ Yet you do not speak_

_ Though you are always up there_

_ 'n daytime we miss you_

_ Make us feel peaceful_

_ Guiding us everywhere_

_ What is your secret_

_ That makes you come back_

_ And makes our gizzards aware_

_ Questions unspoken_

_ Answers ungiven_

_ What's it like in the air?_

_ Feeling so safe in your presence_

_ Honoring you with this tune_

_ Feeling so safe in your presence_

_ We'll see each other again very soon_

_ Glaux bless our almighty moon_

From all around, hoots of appreciation resonated. The Guardians and their families could never get enough of Plonk's wonderful voice, though a very few harbored the thought that there had to be someone else out there who could challenge her talent for singing. Someone like Blythe, judging from last year's Harvest Festival, for example. As if Plonk was able to hear those thoughts, she spoke as the hooting died down.

"I thank you must graciously for your appraisal. While there's plenty more where that came from, I cannot bear the thought of standing in the way of other great singers, who more than deserve their own time to shine. If this next owl was of my gracious bloodline, she was sure to be selected as the Tree's next singer. You all heard her during the Harvest Festival, and now she will grace us once again with her dazzling voice. Guardians, I give you the eldest daughter of our beloved king and queen, Blythe!"

With that, Blythe stepped forward rather meekly, still not accustomed being the center of attention. The hooting of hundreds of owls didn't exactly help to ease her mind. She glanced at her sisters, who gave her supporting and subsidiary looks. Keeping Bash' advice from earlier in mind, she waited patiently until the hooting stopped once again, and took a deep breath.

_ Afraid it won't come around again_

_ Afraid to move on_

_ Wishing we could go back when_

_ Everything was easier and meaningful to us_

_ Wanting all we left behind_

_ Like it's the answer_

_ An hour glass we can't rewind_

_ Holding back the life that we've been denied for so long_

_ Can we find a way to start anew?_

_ After all that we've been through_

_ And after all we left in pieces_

_ I still believe our lives have just begun_

_ Even if the past can't be outrun_

_ We'll always meet the rising sun_

_ And I still believe the best is yet to come_

_ A memory's still in our wings_

_ Afraid to let it go_

_ Trapped by all the joy it brings_

_ And time is just a war that's stealing dreams from within_

_ So come and take them back again_

_ After all that we've been through_

_ And after all we left in pieces_

_ I still believe our lives have just begun_

_ Even if the past can't be outrun_

_ We'll always meet the rising sun_

_ And I still believe the best is yet to come_

The cheering hoots that erupted upon Blythe's last note, was overwhelming. It even surpassed the earlier cheering for Madame Plonk by far. Fortunately, Plonk wasn't jealous. In fact, she was smiling proudly at Blythe, who was quite abashed from the positive feedback she was receiving.

_I really need to teach that girl to show some more pizazz when in that position,_ Plonk thought. _I imagine she's going to be in there many more times in her life._"

* * *

><p>In the meantime, one owl who wasn't celebrating the Moon Festival at the Great Tree, arrived in tears at Cape Glaux, the closest point of earth between the mainland and the Island of Hoole. Kerk settled down in the first tree he could find, and let his tears run free. It took a good few minutes for him to start composing himself. When he did, he began to look around. Night was slowly fading back into gray, signaling the beginning of a new day. The forest of Silverveil began to come to life, non-nocturnal creatures starting their daily routine.<p>

Something suddenly dawned on Kerk's mind.

_What in glaumora? They told me this spot was the closest part of the mainland to the Great Tree, and the crows were highly likely to use it as their staging area. But... there's not a single crow to see! Are they hiding? Oh, curse this hearing disability! If it weren't for those confounded flecks, I could listen around for them. On the other talon, the flecks did grant me another boon, which I guess I'll now have to take advantage of to see if the crows chose another place to launch their attack from. They might not know about Cape Glaux. Actually, given their intelligence, I wouldn't be surprised. Still, I have to make sure and report this to King Soren at once. Something's not right, I can feel it in my gizzard..._

Flying as fast as he could – and trying to suppress to grief over his father for the time being – Kerk flew past the Barrens, the Beaks, the Ice Narrows, Broken Talon Point and the Spirit Woods, only to end up back at Cape Glaux, not seeing a single crow along the way. The sun was starting to force its way up from the horizon, indicating that something either has gone wrong... or that Kraai wasn't as honest about his warning about the impending crow attack as he had let on. Lifting into flight once more, Kerk headed back to the Great Tree and inform King Soren... for better or for worse.

_A/N: Madame Plonk's song inspired by "The Scientist" performed by Coldplay, lyrics inspired by the poem "Ode to the Moon" by Allison Zak._

_Blythe's song inspired by "The Best Is Yet To Come", performed by Red. Provided by WolfOnFyre/Rapture At Sea._


	8. Banishment

**Chapter 8: Banishment**

As the night made way for the day, the owls of the Great Tree grew more and more expectant of the arrival of the crows. Scouts were patrolling the edges of the Island of Hoole, keeping an eye out to determine where the crows would strike from. However, as time passed unhindered, the gold-colored skies remained devoid of enemy activity.

One of the scouts returned to Soren, sitting on one of the thousands branches the Tree harbored, accompanied by the entire Parliament and the non-owl visitors.

"Still no sign of the crows, Sire," the scout said. It was Jette, one to the prime messengers in the Joss Corps, now voluntarily performing another important assignment.

"Odd," Soren replied. "The Moon Festival ended hours ago. They should have long been here by now... Continue your patrol, Jette. If you or any of the other scouts become tired, feel free to come back to find a replacement."

"Of course, Your Highness," Jette replied, after which he resumed his flight pattern.

"I told him so many times protocol doesn't matter with me..."

"Give it a blow, Soren. He's just being courteous, is all." Pelli said, slightly on edge.

"I know, dear." He turned to the charcoal-colored visitor, sitting a few birds away from him. "Kraai, what's taking them? Didn't you say they would attack just after the Festival concluded?"

Kraai shifted his head around nervously, scanning around to spot his kind. His mind wandered back to the moment about two weeks ago, which he still remembered very lively, where he first learned of the crows' plans to attack the Great Tree and its inhabitants, though he had lied to just about everyone about what actually happened back then. He and his 'friends' actually had just finished mobbing a pair of Barn Owls, though he barely participated, given his affinity towards life.

"Come on, Kraai, put some more effort into it next time! Pyrsh nearly got his eye gouged out," one of them said.

"I'm sorry, Molod, it's just that, why do we have to do this? You know Zwart tells us not to."

"I know, I know, but it's just so much fun! I love the way they put up a fight, even though they've got no chance at winning. Unfair, sure, but that's part of the fun."

"I bet you wouldn't like it so much if the roles were reversed..." Kraai muttered under his breath. Unfortunately, he didn't speak softly enough.

"I heard that. Look, we know you've got issues, but if a life of solitude in the Beyond the Beyond suits you better, then by all means."

"No... not really," he responded meekly.

"Didn't think so. At least make yourself useful and see if those two Barn Owls we just pummeled are dead. Can you do that much?"

Sighing, Kraai looked down at the land below, now stained with the motionless bodies of a pair of Barn Owls. When they were about to get attacked, he could hear them talking, giving each other hope. They were male and female, so it was very likely they were mates. It even became clearer when the male shielded the female, as if to protect her from harm. Sadly, it was a futile attempt, for though the male fought back fiercely, his attackers were too numerous and he quickly fell. The female, though no less dangerous, followed suit.

Kraai landed next to the pair of bodies. He first went to check on the male, who lied on his back. His wings were spread out, his eyes closed and his beak wide open. Judging from the blood staining its white-and-brown feathers, it was very unlikely he would still be alive. And indeed, when checking for a heartbeat and a breathing pattern, there were neither to be found.

Kraai sighed as he turned to the female, and walked over to her. She was facing away from her mate, lying on her side. He leaned in... and jerked his head back, gasping. She was still breathing! He looked up to see Molod eying him impatiently.

"Well? What's the holdup?"

A hundred thoughts shot through Kraai's mind, as he was deciding what to answer. Would he tell them she was alive, so they could finish her off and re-establish their trust in him? But then they might tell him to finish her off himself. No, he could never do that. Then again, her mate is gone, so if she died now, they would be together in the afterlife. But was if she has chicks, desperately crying for their Mum to come home? Whatever the case, he needed to think of something, and fast.

Figuring he had come up with the best solution, he lifted into flight and came up next to Molod.

"Nope, they're both goners. No need to check, I'm sure of it."

"_No need to check?" Why would he say that? Something's not right here..._ Molod thought.

"I think I will, just to be certain. I mean, it's not like you're trying to hide something from me... right?"

"N-no, honestly... But, Molod, it's really unnecessary. They're both dead," he replied nervously.

Noticing his nervousness, Molod gave him a fishy look, and looked down at the 'dead' pair below. He was about to start his descent...

"Incoming Guardians, starboard high!" one of the other crows suddenly shouted.

"Curses!" Molod shouted as he spotted the group of owls. "Everyone, into the trees and out of sight, stat! There's too many of them for us to take care of."

As soon as he gave the command, the crows spread out, hiding themselves from view in the closest tree they could find. It just so happened Kraai was hiding in the same tree as Molod. They kept their eyes on the owls, as they apparently had spotted the downed Barn Owls and headed over to investigate.

"They saw the bodies. Keep quiet or I'll throw you to them, like a fish to a bear," Molod whispered to Kraai, who merely nodded.

"The male is no more, Twilight. It seems like the crows went ballistic on him. Glaux watch over him," they heard one of the owls say. Molod was rather pleased with himself.

"Indeed we did, and we'll do the same to you when the time comes, filthy 'Guardian.' It's just a matter of time. Even your mighty Glaux won't be able to help you..." he whispered.

"What are you talking about, Molod? Why go against the Guardians?"

"You know Zwart doesn't want us to mob owls, but do you know why?"

"I thought because he cares about owls, like I do."

"Oh, how precious. No, he doesn't want the Guardians to get wind of his plans."

"What plans?"

"Well, before we saw those Barn Owls, we were on our way to our secret hideout where tonight, Zwart would make his plans official, and I was going to initiate you into his army. For you see, he wants to lay siege on the Great Tree and everything breathing inside it, to get back at them. He lost his entire family and all his friends during their War of the Ember, and blames them for it. He rounded up every crow he could find who suffered the same. I know you have too, so that's why I was getting you to join us."

Kraai was horrified, and was about to explain the drive and reason why the War of the Ember had to be fought. Just at that point, the owl who was checking out the Barn Owl pair started to shout.

"She lives, Twilight! We have to take her to the infirmary, on the double!"

Molod slowly turned to Kraai, anger clouding his face.

"Alive?" he grumbled. Kraai winced. Molod was ready to explode with rage, but had to contain himself if he wanted to keep himself hidden from the group of Guardians, who were about to take flight and transport the wounded owl to safety.

As soon as the owls were out of ear-shot, Kraai rocketed from his hiding spot, Molod directly in his wake. The rest of the emerging crows didn't know what was going on, until Molod shouted "Turnfeather! After him!"

From that day forward, for nearly two weeks, Kraai was hunted down all over Ambala forest. Molod had informed Zwart about the situation... for which he paid with his life. Kraai kept escaping their clutches, which aggravated Zwart up to the point of participating in search parties himself. One day, he got lucky and spotted Kraai trying to hide between the roots of a dead tree, but after giving chase, he lost him after passing by a log suspended over a river. The log had a hollow in it, occupied by a magpie. Zwart initially had it checked out by one of his cronies, and though he said Kraai wasn't there, Zwart found it suspicious. And indeed, when he inspected the hollow himself during the night, he spotted Kraai sleeping soundly next to the magpie, who turned out to be covering for him. He then deduced a plan to quickly dispose of them both, and fetched some more henchbirds to dig away the log's support, causing it to crash into the river. Unfortunately for him, Kraai woke up before that happened, and they both survived. Zwart then wanted to take care of him the old-fashioned way, when suddenly a bald eagle came to their help. Promising to finish the job someday, he retreated.

Kraai wondered why he didn't fly into the direction of the Guardians as soon as the chasing began. It would have made many things so much simpler... at least, if the Guardians didn't attack first, and ask questions later.

"Yes, Soren. But I have no idea what's taking them. Like you said, they should have been here long ago."

One of the scouts hooted, and every bird turned their heads west, where the hoot came from.

"What's that? Is that it? Are they here?" Arend asked, visibly tensed. He was eager to put his new-found skills with the scimitar to the test.

"No, Arend, that's not the signal that indicates danger. Rather, one of the scouts found something, or someone. Look, here he comes right-"

The dot in the distance whom Soren thought was the scout, expanded so quickly, it looked like a comet coming his way. It stopped right in front of the birds in a fraction of a second. Any owl that blinked at that moment would have missed it. It wasn't a scout at all, it was Kerk, panting from the flying he just did.

"Kerk? What's the matter? Looks like you just flew around the world," Ekster said.

"Not... the world... just the shoreline..." he replied, catching his breath as he spoke.

"What for? There are already several owls doing just that," Gylfie said.

"Not this island... The kingdoms..."

Just then, the scout that gave the initial hoot from before arrived.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, he just blew right past me."

"It's quite alright, Smeer. Clearly he has some important message to relay, right, Kerk?" Soren asked.

"Indeed, Soren. I just flew around the shores of all the different forests, and there wasn't a single crow in sight anywhere!"

The eyes and beaks of all the birds, Kraai's not the very least, flew wide open.

"None of them, nowhere? Are you sure?"

"Very. The entire shoreline was devoid of life. Well, of crows at least."

While Soren sank into thought, Kraai glanced around him nervously. A few owls were staring him down, expecting some kind of answer or explanation.

"But... I-I don't know-"

"Parliament, emergency meeting, now. Kraai, you too," Soren interjected. "Smeer, send word to the other scouts to call off the patrol. If they ask why, feel free to tell them what you heard." Soren turned his head towards Twilight. "Twilight, get your brothers and ask them to wait outside the Parliament doors. We'll be needing them."

* * *

><p>Instead of sitting in their normal spots, the owls of the Parliament were spread across the room in a wide circle, with Kraai in the middle, giving him no chance of escape. Kraai had no intention to, but given his predicament, it wasn't unlikely he would try.<p>

"Kraai," Soren began, "the crow attack you warned us about, an attack that was meant to commence hours ago, has not occurred. Not only that, they haven't even been spotted on the far coastline, while any kind of tactician would know is vital to set up a staging area as close, yet as safely as possible to the enemy. But no such area has been seen. This leads us to believe you have unnecessarily put the Great Ga'Hoole Tree in a state of high alert. What say you in your defense?"

"Your Highness," Kraai tried to appeal to Soren's sense of honor, "I have no clue as to what might have occurred for my kind to call off the attack. Maybe they somehow learned that you knew of their plans and postponed it? Or maybe Zwart had a change of heart? I highly doubt that's the case, but you never-"

"We're not looking for excuses, Kraai," Soren interjected. "We're looking for answers."

Kraai continued to address Soren, and now Pelli too, by their formal title.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty, honorable Parliament, I implore you. I had nothing but the best intentions at heart. I'm sure if you'll ask Ekster and Arend, they'll vouch for me."

"Very well," Pelli said. "Bring them in."

Ekster and Arend wandered into the room, while Kraai was told to wait outside. Arend barely fit through the doors, given his size. Kraai was getting his hopes up when the magpie and bald eagle were being questioned by the owls. Sadly for him, they too had not a shred of evidence to either confirm or disprove Kraai's claims. Everything they knew was based off of what he told them. The only bit of support they could provide on Kraai's behalf is the crow's hostility towards him.

"Did he ever tell you why?" Otulissa asked Arend.

"No, ma'am. Not until we reached my parent's nest. Come to think of it, when we asked him before why they wanted him dead, he told us a different story. In fact, we never heard of this supposed crow attack until the first time he told you."

"Well, I believe I heard enough!" Twilight suddenly erupted. "We should have known better than to put our faith a crow. How _yoicks_ we were. None of them can be trusted. None!"

"Please, Twilight, don't be so crass," Gylfie pleaded. "Though I must admit I am, too, rather dismayed at this crow's trickery."

"Thank you, Ekster and Arend. You may leave now, and please ask Kraai to come back in," Pelli said.

After the two birds exchanged places with the third, Soren continued.

"We had given you the benefit of doubt, Kraai. "Glaux knows that many times, I myself had words as the only proof available. But now, I have to be just. While Ekster and Arend support the notion of you being an enemy to your own kind, they couldn't support your claim of a crow attack. You have no proof of such, and even if there was, you also have no proof as of why it didn't happen. Do you have anything else to add?"

Kraai had said all he could say, except for the only answer he could give now: "...No."

"I see. Very well then. This Parliament will now have to decide how to handle this situation. Twilight, please escort Kraai outside, and leave him in the custody of your brothers. We'll call him back in as soon as we made our decision."

Twilight flew down next to Kraai, who was slightly trembling in fear, and nudged him – as gently Twilight could get – in the direction of the Parliament doors. Kraai's motivations were truly well-intended, but they were right. How could he convince them without any evidence? As Twilight shoved him between Cletus and Tavis, he realized he couldn't. From this point on, whatever decision the owls made, he would have to endure it.

"Look after him, bros. We might not have a prison anymore, but we could certainly find the use for one right now," Twilight said before heading back to his spot, the doors creaking shut behind him. Cletus and Tavis just murmured to each other about empty promises of a glorious fight and Kraai being a deceiver, while occasionally giving him annoyed glances.

* * *

><p>Kraai didn't have to witness this display for long. As expected, the Parliament came to a verdict quite quickly. Kraai returned to his spot in the middle of the hollow, listening to Soren's authorative voice.<p>

"Kraai, _corvus corone_, denizen of Ambala Forest. We, the Parliament of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, the ruling body of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree and beyond, have come to a decision. Without any hint of proof, you have deceived the Guardians into believing they would be under attack soon by an army consisting of your kind, unnecessarily riling all of us up for nothing. Then, also without any hint of proof, you cannot explain why the supposed attack did not occur, further establishing your deceit. While you claim your actions to be genuine, without evidence, we cannot possibly verify your claims to be truthful. Therefor, it is our decision to have you exiled from the Island of Hoole, permanently. We will assemble a party to have you escorted back to the place where we found you, where you will then be left to your own devices. Should you ever make a return, albeit with benign or malignant intentions, know that we will mete out proper action. May Glaux have mercy on you."

* * *

><p>"You're lucky Soren is such a noble king. If I had any say in it, I'm not sure you'd still be alive right now. Consider yourself fortunate. Now, get lost before I sack you anyway, and never show your face again!"<p>

Twilight's message was very clear when he and his companions dropped Kraai off. They had returned to the beach where they all first met. The bodies of the crows from the last battle were still present, now in a state of decay.

"Well... That's that," Ekster said flatly as the owls made their way back to the Tree. Ekster and Arend were still allowed to stay at the Tree for a while, yet they decided to leave with Kraai nonetheless.

"Indeed," Arend said. "What to do now?"

"What do you think?" Kraai said with a hint of anger in his tone. "We got to find out why Zwart didn't attack, obviously!"

Ekster and Arend faced each other, not sure how to give it to him but straight.

"Look, Kraai," Arend began. "We really want to believe you. But when that attack didn't happen when you said it would... We're sorry, but that, and the other times you lied to us, makes it very hard to have further faith in you. I mean, what would you do if you were in our place?"

"Guys, I know I've got nothing to convince you, but you have to believe me! I honestly don't know why they didn't show, but I'm going to find out."

He gave a pleading look to Ekster.

"Please... I thought we had something..."

Ekster just looked away. "I'm sorry, Kraai... I don't know if I can trust you anymore... not after tonight."

Kraai felt his world crumble. After all he had endured, the only being that genuinely started to care for him also dropped him like a rock.

Ekster's rejection was the last drop.

"Fine! Forget it. Forget all of it. If my so-called 'friends' won't bother, then I won't too. Screw the Guardians and their precious Tree. I tried to warn them, but if they rather let themselves get ambushed, great! Let them all rot in their hagsmire, for all I care!"

Arend inched closer to Kraai, trying to calm him down.

"Relax, Kraai. You know you don't mean that. You love all life, remember?"

Kraai didn't want to hear any of it. "'Love all life?' Yeah, right. And look where that's gotten me! I've been exiled by my kind, exiled by the 'most noble owls in the land', and now my only friends are turning their backs on me. It seems life isn't loving me back, so I don't see why I should care for it any longer. No, I'm going to the only place in the world where I'm relatively welcome: Beyond the Beyond. Thanks for nothing, you two!"

Kraai turned around, ready to lift into flight. Yet, for a moment, he hesitated, and turned around again, still fuming.

"Oh, and another thing. Kerk's parents? I was there. There never was a Whiskered Screech my group was about to mob. No, instead I participated in beating their pellets out of them. Sure, not as much as the others, but still. And you know why I was REALLY abandoned by my kin? Because I knew Kerk's Mum was alive, and I tried to convince the others she wasn't. But then, the Guardians showed up, and ruined everything!"

Kraai closed his eyes, sighed, and turned around again. "They ruined everything..." he muttered. He looked up, and spread his wings. Before beating them down, he glanced behind him to look one last time at the magpie and the bald eagle, nailed to the ground.

"Have a nice life," he said in a flat, defeated tone, and took off, a small drop of water falling from one of his eyes. The sunlight caused a myriad of the colors of the rainbow to emerge from it, before being soaked up by the soft sand of the beach.

While the once-life-loving crow slowly vanished from sight, Arend spoke up.

"Well, I guess this is it, Ekster. You okay?"

Ekster carefully wiped away a single tear emerging from her left eye's tear duct. "There was something blooming between us, you know. I didn't like him keeping things from us before any more than you did, but I thought that changed after the first two times. I was really starting to like him, and as you heard, he felt the same. But when his warning turned out to be a fluke, another lie exposed... Not to mention being part of Targas' death..."

"I know, Ekky. You don't need to explain yourself. I know the feeling..." Arend said, as his thoughts slowly wandered off. He quickly snapped out of his self-inflicted line of thought.

"Uh, what are you going to do now?"

"Well... since I don't have a home anymore..." She lifted her thimble. "I guess the only thing I can do is find my cousin Mags, and trade her my talonglove for some temporary shelter. At this time of the year, she's probably somewhere in the Shadow Forest, so that's where I'll go. What about you?"

"I suppose I'll visit my parents, and tell them what happened. I'll probably spend the night there as well. You're welcome to join me, if you'd like."

"Appreciate the offer, but I'd rather be alone right now, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Well, farewell then, Ekster. I hope we cross paths again."

"Me too, Arend. And give your parents and Mist my regards."

After they shook claws – rather, Ekster used her claws to shake one of Arend's – they both lifted into flight, each in the direction of their own destinations, and out of each others life.


	9. Change of Plans

**Chapter 9: Change of Plans**

Kraai left the Shadow Forest behind him as he crossed the border leading into the Beyond the Beyond. He was fortunate enough to find a stream of thermals, making his trek nearly effortless. Yet, he wasn't so sure if 'fortunate' was the proper way to describe it.

_As if fate is helping me in getting away from everything faster..._

The first thing he noticed about the Beyond is that it was cold, very cold, despite it being summer. Or as the owls would know it, the time of the Golden Rain.

_Owls! That's the last thing I want to think about right now. After all I've been through with the 'most noble creatures in the world,' I could care less about them._

Suddenly, a series of noises coming from below alerted him. He looked down to see a herd of caribou passing by, languidly munching on the long grass around their hooves.

_See, now why can't life be more like that? They've got it easy, with not a care in the world..._

Just as he finished his thought, a large set of antlers pierced the air around them. The bull to which the antlers belonged to looked around frantically, before letting loose a low groan, causing the whole herd to stampede away.

Wondering what had the caribou so riled up all of a sudden, Kraai took a look around himself. At ground level, they were nearly impossible to spot, but from the sky, it was clear what made the caribou run away in fear.

Downwind from the herd was a pack of wolves giving chase, and they were hungry.

It was nearly impossible to spot with the naked eye, but the wolves were communicating during the chase without even speaking. Twitching of ears, grinding of teeth, nodding of heads, each signal had its own meaning. Whatever the meaning of each was, Kraai could only guess. Fact is that the wolves had identified one of the weaker members of the herd, and that was the one they intended to kill... and eat.

After assuming various formations to break off the weakest link from the herd, another nigh invisible command was given. Two wolves, running along the flank of the pack, moved in on either side of the bull, and pounced it simultaneously. The impact made the bull tumble, but before it could get on its hooves again, one of the wolves lurched forward, and dug its teeth into the bull's neck, severing the main artery through which most of the blood flowed.

The bull tried to get up again and again, but the rapid loss of blood caused it to collapse even before it barely attempted to get up. Finally, the bull just laid there, accepting its fate.

What happened next astounded Kraai.

One of the wolves, who appeared to be the leader of the pack, stepped forward, and laid down on its belly mere inches before the bull's muzzle. He stared straight into the eyes of the bull for a few moments, until it exhaled its last breath as life escaped from it.

The pack leader got up again, moved towards the belly of the bull, and planted his teeth into it, tearing out a large chunk of meat. After having his share, he moved over and allowed the rest of the pack to dine as well.

A few wolves, who appeared very underfed, patiently awaited their turn. But at the rate the other wolves were devouring the bull, there would hardly be anything left for them to eat.

_Might explain why __they are so thin, _Kraai thought, as he landed in a nearby. _They must be very low in rank._

"Hey. Waiting to get a scrap too, huh?"

Kraai nearly fell off the branch when a voice came out of nowhere. Turned out there was a pair of crows already sitting in the tree, hoping to snatch a bite from the carcass as well.

"Whoa, now. Are you alright? We're not ghosts or anything," the same crow said.

_Doesn't look like they know who I am, _Kraai thought. _best to play along._

"Uh, that's right. I'm starving," he said. It wasn't exactly a lie, as his stomach felt rather empty.

"Yeah, well, let's hope the gnaw wolves miss a bit of meat. I sure would like some of that," the other crow said, eagerly eying the dead bull. It was clear by the tone of its voice this one was a female.

"Uh... gnaw wolves?" Kraai asked.

"Haven't been in the Beyond long, huh?" the male crow said. "Those skinny wolves there, they're called gnaw wolves. Poor buggers are the lowest in rank among the wolf packs. Despite the honorable task of gnawing the history of their packs and clans into bones – hence their title – they get treated with very little respect. Sometimes, they don't even get a single strip of meat. Quite sad, really."

"Yeah..." Kraai said. It somehow reminded him of himself, for he too was treated with very little respect recently, even though he was sure to contribute majorly to the history of the Guardians. He quickly disregarded the thought when the same crow spoke again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

_Uh oh,_ Kraai thought. _If they__ hear my name__, __it may stir their memories!__ Quick, think!_

"My name is, uh... Aarki," he said, hastily jumbling the letters in his name around.

"Huh. An unusual name, wouldn't you say?"

"Uh... yeah, quite. My parents were weird like that, I guess." _So sorry, mom and dad!_

The crow just smiled. "Well, I'm Glock, and this is Annas, my mate. Are you joining the fight against the Guardians too?"

Now Kraai no longer needed to keep up a charade, since now he was genuinely surprised.

"What? I thought that attack was canceled?"

"Canceled? No, just postponed. A turnfeather told the Guardians about of the attack, so Zwart, our leader, decided to attack the next day. That way, they'd still be tired, not just from celebrating, but also from the lack of sleep. Quite brilliant, I'd say."

Suddenly, Annas, the female crow, jumped from the branch and glided towards the carcass of the bull.

"Oh, looks like the wolves have moved on," Glock said. "Come on, let's see if they missed a spot."

Glock and Kraai joined Annas, who was already poking vigorously at the scraps of the remaining meat the wolves couldn't reach.

"So... if the attack was delayed, why are you here?" Kraai asked.

"Oh, we went to visit my folks. I wanted to see if they wanted to tag along for this fight."

"Seeing as they're not here, I guess they said no?"

Glock ripped off a piece of flesh before replying. "Yep. Said something about the War of the Ember and how right the Guardians were for fighting it. But Zwart said all of that is a bunch of hooey. All the Guardians care about is total domination. After all, exactly when did those owls ever care for us crows anyway?"

_I don't know, maybe because we keep attacking them all the time, and never bother to talk to them?_ Kraai thought as Glock downed the strip of meat. He bit lower beak though, in order to keep his ruse intact.

Kraai noticed he just thought positively of the Guardians again. He knew then it was against his nature to hold a grudge: the Guardians were in danger, and he was the only one that had the ability to do something about it, despite of the way they had treated him.

"I'm surprised you don't know all this stuff."

"Oh I knew, of the first attack, at least. I live in the Beyond, and it's quite far away to Ambala. So I figured I'd get a head start and wait at the shore of on the day of the attack, but the others never showed. I figured they changed their minds, so I came back here."

"I see. Well, I think we've exhausted this bull for what it's worth. What do you say we head on back to Ambala and join the fray? Don't want to miss all the fun, now do we?"

"I guess not! I'll be right behind you."

Lifting into flight and in pursuit of the crow couple, Kraai started to devise a plan. It would take a lot of cunning and a tremendous amount of luck – luck he probably wouldn't have. At the very least, he could offer some assistance to the Guardians if need be.

_I only hope Corva will forgive me for this..._

"Ekster! Darling, it's been far too long!"

"I know, cous', and I'm sorry. I've been rather... busy, so to speak."

"Well then, I simply must hear all about it. Lucy, Bubbles, Dotty, take five. No, make that ten. In fact, Bubbles, why don't you tell them what you know, and don't fill their heads with any nonsense."

Ekster had found her cousin, Trader Mags, by sheer coincidence. She was heading in the direction of Elsemere Island, where the Glauxian Sisters made their retreat in the burrows there. As she was flying across the Barrens, making her way towards the Shadow Forest, several glints on the ground below caught her eye. Given her obsessively scavenging nature as a magpie, she couldn't resist but inspect further. And wouldn't you know it, it turned out to be her cousin, setting up shop. Or rather, practice-shop.

Mags was in the middle of training her future successor, Luce, and her assistant, Dotty. The wheels of time yield to no-one, and Mags was no exception, whether she liked it or not. Seeing as she didn't have any next of kin, she took Luce under her wing, who was the only child of Mags' best friends. She showed a lot of potential and was a natural in the way of using words to her advantage, so Mags offered her training to become the next Trader.

"Do tell, sweetie. What brings you all the way out here? Aren't you worried someone might break into your home and make off with your belongings?"

"Well... See this?" She held up her thimble. "This is all I have left."

"By Corva! You mean those other geegaws... I mean, valuables I traded with you before are all gone? What happened?"

After Ekster brought Mags up to speed, she was speechless. Yet not for the reason Ekster thought she was.

"I know, incredible, right? To think an army of crows would be coming together for an all-out attack against the Ga'Hoole Tree... I don't know what I was thinking, believing it to be true."

"Actually, dear..." Mags said, "it might very well be true."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"As you know, I get around. So I hear a lot of rumors, both from clients and in grog trees. Word is that over the past week, everyone has been seeing crows heading to the forest of Ambala. In fact, since three days ago, I haven't seen a single crow anywhere. They say the crows are indeed gathering at some secret hiding spot, and if the rumors are true, we might be talking about several hundreds of them... maybe a thousand, or more."

"Well, even if that's true, that's no proof they are indeed going to strike at the Great Tree... even though I must say it certainly starts to seem that way."

Mags shifted around uncomfortably. "Well..."

Ekster eyed her suspiciously. "Yes?"

"There is something else..."

"What is it, cousin?"

"The last time I saw crows? A few of them wanted to do business with me, said they were looking for anything to... give them an edge in combat. Armor, weapons, or anything that might pass for such."

"What?" Ekster was truly shocked, and it took a moment or two to recover from it. "Did you sell them anything?"

"Please dear, I deal in antiquities, not in warfare. Now, I'm not saying that your friend – Kraai, was it? – was right after all, but it certainly looks like he was, more and more."

"Indeed! Why didn't anyone report this to the Guardians before?"

"Well, as I understand it, nobody could believe crows would be brave – or foolish – enough to actually launch an attack against anyone. Even when they came asking for equipment, I didn't bother to connect the dots. Because let's be honest: who in their right minds would attack the Guardians, heralds of wisdom, protectors of innocents, vanquishers of evil? It just didn't make any sense. Now, though, it would seem it wasn't so far-fetched after all..."

"Oh no. No-no-no, this is bad. The attack was supposed to happen this morning, but they must have delayed it for one reason or another. But that doesn't mean the Guardians aren't in danger! And even if the crows aren't going after them, an army of crows is bad news for everyone. I have to do something! Perhaps I should-"

A dark, unnatural cloud suddenly loomed in the distance. With the setting sun on the horizon and a brightly illuminated moon in the sky, it grew darker with each passing moment the closer the cloud came. But this particular cloud moved across the sky like a black tsunami, as if it was slowly swallowing the earth. Ekster, Mags, Luce, Bubbles and Dotty all saw it coming toward them, and couldn't move a muscle as they gasped at the ominously, looming darkness.

The closer it came, the more they realized it wasn't a cloud at all, for where clouds are completely silent, this one was accompanied by the sounds of hundreds – no, thousands of beating wings. As the black mass moved by above them, the magpies ultimately identified what they were looking at: an army of crows, heading eastbound... in the direction of the Great Ga'Hoole Tree.

"That's quite the story, son! Now we can all safely say it's never a good idea to trust a crow."

"I don't know, Da. You should've seen the look on his face when they told him there weren't any crows in sight anywhere. Still, that doesn't explain anything, no matter how much I'd like to believe him."

Despite what he said to Ekster before, Arend first went to his own nest, located at the edge between the Barrens and Ambala, to see everything was fine with it. When that was the case, he moved on toward his parents, Streak and Zan, and arrived there when the sun was well on it's way to make way for the night.

Streak and Zan were relieved to see their son alive and well, for if what Kraai told them was true, then the battle would have been fought the night before. Seeing as he was here, he either brought tidings glad with news of a victory, or distraught with news of a defeat. In case of the latter, they would somehow have to rally every single creature in the world to strike against the crows, for an army of crows with ill intentions – who defeated the Guardians, no less – was bad news for everyone.

Big was their surprise when Arend told them what had occurred, and learned that neither was the case.

"Exactly," Streak said, "and don't you forget it. Crows can't be trusted. Not in the past, not now, not in the future. Never."

Zan eyed her mate rather sternly, silently telling him he was overreacting. _Just because many of them are delinquents, doesn't mean all of them are, _her look seemed to say.

"What? It's true, isn't it?" Zan increased the sternness in her eyes, which made Streak yield. "Oh alright, maybe not all of them are bad, but there sure aren't a lot of those."

"I don't know, my gizzard tells me otherwise," a voice said out of nowhere.

Arend managed to get himself jump-scared again, once more forgetting about Mist and her ability to unwillingly blend in with the environment, even though she was sitting just a few paces away.

"Gah! You and that sprink ability-" Arend cut himself off, and covered his beak with his wings, realizing he just spoke one of the worst curses in the Hoolian language. Streak disciplined his son by delivering him a firm headbutt. A move which he quickly regretted, as the wounds delivered to him by the mob of crows a few days back weren't fully healed yet. He yelped as he started rubbing his now-sore cranium.

"Ouch! That wasn't smart... Anyway, watch that beak of yours, young man! As sure as there are branches on a tree, we did not teach you that word, nor do we condone it. Understood?"

"Yes, Da and Mum, I'm sorry."

Accepting his son's apology, Streak turned to Mist.

"What were you saying, Mist?"

"I said I wasn't sure about it. Haven't you noticed we've seen less and less crows flying around these parts the past few days? In fact, I don't recall seeing any of them since yesterday."

"Now that you mention it, it has been getting quieter around the forest. But frankly, I'm not sad about that. The less crows around, the better, I say."

"True, but doesn't that tell you anything? Even if they're not planning to attack the Tree, they're planning _someth__ing_, and it involves a lot of them. We should be vigilant, at least."

Zan nodded in agreement. "I'm with Mist on this one, Da," Arend said.

Seeing as it was now three against one, Streak had no choice but to yield – again.

"Well, I can see I'm in the minority here. Fine, I'll keep an eye too out for anything suspicious. I still think this is getting blown way out of proportion, though. I really can't believe... crows are dumb enough... to..."

As Streak speech dwindled to muteness, his sight fixed itself on something he was seeing in the distance. Immediately noticing the seemingly bewildered state Streak suddenly found himself in, Arend, Zan and Mist followed his gaze.

A vast, black cloud, moving at an unnatural speed, quickly strode across the sky. The aerie the eagles and owl lived on wasn't directly in their path, so the cloud didn't quite pass overhead.

"What in the name of Glaux is _that_?" Mist asked.

"I have no idea," Streak said. "Should we investigate? There is definitely something up with that could."

"You don't say. Zan, why don't you and Arend take a look? I'm not much use with my bad wings, and Streak still needs to recover from his injuries."

"Nonsense. I feel fine. Look!" To emphasize his remark, he stretched out his wings, readying himself for take-off. As soon as his wings reached their maximum span, though, he cringed, his muscles sending forth electrifying jolts of pain through his body from straining them. He yelped again.

"Uh-huh, sure you are," Mist churred. "Fear not, Zan and Arend are well capable enough of looking after themselves." She turned to the mother and son. "Still, be careful. We don't know what we're looking at, so try to keep a low profile."

Nodding, Zan and Arend took off. They went over the edge of the aerie, gliding down towards the forest floor, pulled up in time to avoid a collision with the ground, and climbed again, high enough to barely skim above the treetops.

As they got closer and closer to the cloud, that kept growing to immense proportions the closer they got, they started to noticing more and more details in it as well. It quickly dawned on them they weren't looking at a cloud at all, but a vast number of crows heading in the same direction. Astonished by this notion of realization, they landed in one of the many trees just below them, obscuring themselves from sight as best as they could.

"Well, Mum, I can definitely say we now know where all the crows went. Now, finding out where they're headed, that's something else..."

Something in Arend's gut gnawed at him. What if Kraai was right all along? Sure, they didn't attack when he said they would, but to see the crows in such numbers heading in the same direction, it was all but certain they were up to something.

A shiver of dread roiled through him as he expanded his eyes. Mentally orienting himself, he turned into the direction of where the crows were flying, and came to a horrible awareness. He turned back to his mother.

"Mum, Kraai was right, at least partially. Those crows are headed toward the Tree! We must find a way to alert them, and fast!" Zan, bereft of the ability of speech, could only nod, and vigorously at that.

As the black stain in the sky moved over them, something in the corner of Arend's eye caught his attention. It looked like another crow, trying to catch up with his kind. _Must've shown up late for the party,_ Arend mused. He was about to pay it no further thought, until he suddenly identified the lone crow as none other than Kraai himself...

Kraai was beating his wings as hard as he possibly could to catch up with his kind. Much of the plan he had concocted depended on his ability of keeping up a charade. His previous attempt against Molod proved disastrous, however, for that's when the ball started rolling. Yet, if he wanted his plan to work, he'd have to give it all in order to...

Out of nowhere, his wings were clamped against his body by two massive sets of claws, and he felt himself getting forced down towards the ground.

"Hey, what the-"

"You've got some explaining to do, mister!"

Kraai turned his head sideways, so he could have a good look at his captor.

"Arend? What are you doing? Let me go this instant!"

"Not until you answer my questions, I won't."

As they neared the forest floor, Arend released one set of claws, which he used to land on the forest floor. Contacting the ground, Arend had no trouble pinning down the squirming crow. He was quickly joined by his mother.

"Arend, please, release me! You'll mess up the entire plan!"

"Plan? Let's see. I can understand you're angry with the Guardians, but here I am, seeing you flying after your kind, heading in the direction of the Great Tree. Unless you're going to take them all on by yourself, I'd love to hear it."

"That's exactly what I was going to do!"

"I... What?"

Taken aback by Kraai's words, Arend let his guard slip somewhat, which resulted in slightly loosening his grip on the unfortunate crow. Kraai noticed this and tried to squirm his way out of his biological confinement. This in turn was noticed by Arend, and the eagle restored his grip.

"Ungh... Not so tight! It's getting hard to breathe..."

"Have you gone completely yoicks? You wanted to take on an entire army of crows by yourself? I'd love to hear this plan of yours, then."

"I know what I'm doing. I learned in the Beyond from a couple of crows the attack has been postponed by a day, because somehow, Zwart found out that I had alerted them. I don't know how, but that's not important right now. What's important, as you can see, is that the attack is happening now, and I'm trying to... well, I WAS trying to stop it."

"So... you wanted to try and kill Zwart before they get to the Tree? How exactly were you planning to do that, scratch him to death?"

"I was trying to beat the crows to the Tree, and hope to score a weapon from the Guardians. It's a long shot, I know, especially since they don't want to see me there ever again. But I'd rather risk that than allowing Zwart to reach the Tree first, and massacre the Guardians in the process. At the very least, I can still warn them the crows are on their way, whether they'll believe me or not. If needed, they could send Kerk out to confirm that. But all that will be for naught if you don't let me go! I implore you!"

After a few confused glances, Arend shifted his grip on Kraai to his neck, and held him up.

"I've given you the benefit of doubt once, and although you were just partially right, I'm giving it again. But so help me Glaux, Corva or whatever deity up there: if you mess up again, I will be glad to deal with you myself." Terrified, Kraai only nodded, after which Arend finally released him.

"Good. Now, here's what I suggest. I can fly faster than you, so I'll head for the Tree myself. Those crows have got to pace themselves if they want to have any stamina left for the fight. You go and fly among with them. I'll try to alert the Guardians on your behalf, and come back with a weapon for both of us. If I don't make it back in time... lay low so you don't turn yourself into a target. Understood?"

"Crystal clear," Kraai responded, and jetted off in pursuit of the crows, who managed to gain quite a lead. Zan made her way back to the aerie – wondering how in hagsmire she was going to relay the information to her mate and friend – while Arend headed to the Tree once again.


	10. Showdown

**Chapter 10: Showdown**

While the sun steadily crawled its way toward the horizon, more and more owls in the Great Ga'Hoole Tree rose from their peaceful slumber. Many of them didn't get the required rest they needed, because of the fallacious crow that kept them up far too long the night before, making them believe a large battle was abound. Despite the lack of sleep, they still had to rouse themselves as early as possible, for after each celebration came a less pleasant yet mandatory activity: cleaning everything up.

Teams were created and each was assigned a specific chore. This was also the perfect moment for misbehaved owls in need of a flint mop to deliver. They had the least enjoyable of tasks, but accepted them nonetheless, for they had managed to put themselves in that position.

Soren was overseeing the cleaning in the Tree's roomiest chamber as it progressed. Many owls were still sluggish from their deprivation – himself included – so he promised everyone a bonus portion of nooties during tweener, as a way of thanking them for serving the Tree despite their fatigue.

"Bubo, have you created a team yet for the recovery of the ice weapons?"

As the other owls ran into the ice weapons while handling their assigned tasks, they carefully placed them in plain sight on the floor of the Great Hollow, allowing for easier recovery by the responsible team.

"I have, Soren. They're gathering them as we speak, and are being kept in the Great Hollow until all of them have been accounted for. Then they will be returned to the armory."

"Excellent. I hope they don't show any signs of melting, or else they may have to be discarded." "No worries, they're just as pristine as they've ever been. But I wouldn't keep them out for another day, or they won't be anymore."

"They'll be back in their place in no time, as long as you're in charge. By your leave, Bubo, I'll go check how Kerk is performing."

"Farewell, Soren. See you at tweener."

As Soren lofted from the hollow, he looked out over the sea. It was an unusually clear evening. He could swear he saw a pitch-black cloud looming in the distance, but shrugged it off as one of nature's many quirks, and continue his search for the Barn Owl with the special gift. Given his speed, it was all but certain he would be a tremendous addition to the Joss Corps, despite the lack of work they were receiving these days. Soren also believed the training under Jette's guidance would take his mind off of his departed father.

Soren found Jette in the middle of a small clearing, equally distant from the shore and the Tree. He was staring deep into the sky and shifting his head vigorously.

"Greetings, Jette. Everything in order?" Soren said, touching down.

"All is fine, Your Majesty," he said, without shifting his gaze. "Beg your forgiveness I don't face you, for I fear that if I take my sight off of Kerk for just a second, I'm going to lose him."

"First of all, Jette, you know I don't care for protocol," Soren reminded Jette for the umpteenth time. Then he faced the sky, following Jette's stare and trying to spot the Barn Owl for himself. "Second, how is Kerk doing?"

"Right now, he's flying with a botkin strapped to his back. And might I say, he's a natural. Give him a few more weeks, and he'll be integrated into the Joss Corps without effort."

"Well, you know he still has to complete his Guardian training first, as do all owls residing here."

"Of course, Your Ma- erm, Soren. I'm just saying."

"Naturally." As he watched Kerk ripping through the air, he turned to his left to peer in the distance after catching the black mass from before in the corner of his eye. It seemed to have increased in size. _Hmm... Peculiar. I wonder if I should have that cloud investigated?_

A hoot sounded from one of the guards at the edges of the island, catching Soren's attention.

_A guest? At this hour? Oh well, guess that cloud will have to wait..._

Excusing himself to Jette, Soren lifted into flight to find the guard that gave the hoot. Given his almost supernatural ability to pin-point the exact origin of specific sound waves, he quickly located the issuer of the signal. Apparently, the sentry in question was the closest to the dark bubble that seemed to be moving in their general direction.

"What's the matter, Guardian?" Soren asked the guard. "Is it about that cloud over there?"

"No, Your Highness, it's about that eagle there heading this way."

Adjusting his sight from the distant cloud to any targets closer by, he found the eagle the guard was referencing. And truthfully, it was heading straight for Soren. Anticipating a potential assault, Soren spread his wings, ready to take off just before the eagle would reach him, hopefully causing it to smack against the earth. Such defensive measures quickly proved unnecessary, for the closer the eagle came, the more Soren identified it as Arend.

Skidding to a halt near Soren, Arend keeled over, leaning on his wings to recover his breath. It was clear he exhausted himself, most likely due to flying all this way as fast as he could.

"Arend? What's the matter? Why are you in such distress?"

Arend just coughed, and signaled to give him another moment. He tried pointing at the black cloud in the distance, which just seemed to keep growing larger by the second.

"That cloud? What about it? It's starting to get a little unsettling, to say the least."

"And for good reason, Soren," Arend managed to say. "That's not a cloud, it's… it's..."

"It's what?"

Arend inhaled sharply. "Soren, Kraai was right. He got the time wrong somehow, but everything else he said was true. That's not a cloud, it's an army of crows bound for the island, coming to attack the Tree!"

Soren was utterly shocked when he heard those words. The guard next to him even more so, as he went yeep on the spot and fell backwards. Soren quickly recovered his wits.

"Arend, forgive me if I interpret your announcement as somewhat skeptical. We've heard that story before."

"I realize that, Soren, but it's true! Have Kerk check it out if you must, and he'll verify it. But quickly, every second wasted is one too many! The Tree needs to prepare!"

Kerk had returned to Jette, who was giving him new instructions. Soren headed over to the pair, Arend in his wake. When Kerk noticed the eagle, he joyfully wanted to greet him, but Soren stepped in.

"I'm sorry, Kerk, there's no time for pleasantries. I need you to do something, right now."

"Of course, Soren. Whatever I can help you with?"

"See that cloud over there? That black smudge in the sky?" Soren turned and pointed with his wing at the ever-expanding 'cloud.'

"Yeah, I could see it before while I was in the sky. What about it? I figured it was smoke from a forest fire."

"I need you to go over there and see what exactly what constitutes it. If Arend's suspicions are correct, we're in for a heap of trouble."

"It's not a suspicion, it's the truth, for Glaux's sake!" Arend blurted, annoyed by the fact that time was being wasted on this trivial matter.

"Whatever it is, Kerk, go check it out and... be careful. Now go!"

Without saying another thing, Kerk lifted off and zoomed off towards the cloud, which appeared to be halfway across the sea by now.

_There's no more time to provide Kraai with a weapon unnoticed,_ Arend thought. _Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way..._

A few tedious moments passed before Kerk returned to the point of his departure. A look of dread clouded his face, and he appeared far thinner than before. Soren knew Kerk had wilfed during mid-flight, and by adding the look on the latter's face, he realized Arend – not to mention, Kraai – was telling the truth all along. The crows were attacking – right here, right now.

"Soren... that cloud... it's..." Kerk began, barely able to speak.

"Say no more. Jette, sound the alarm. The crows are here! Let's hope Bubo hasn't returned the ice weapons yet..."

* * *

><p>Shard lazily awoke in his hollow, right next to the love of his life, Bryony, who was still fast asleep. On the other side of him was Bix, neatly coiled up. And last but not least, his pair of newly-born, yet-to-be-named children were sleeping at his feet. Today would be the day he and Bryony would think of names for them, and see which would fit them best.<p>

Shard let out a big yawn. Unwillingly, this caused Bryony to stir from her slumber.

"Mmm... Good night, Shard."

"Good night, love. Sleep well?"

"Like an owlet. Speaking of which, how are ours doing?"

"They're still sleeping, so let's try not to wake them for now. Our lives are about to get a whole lot busier, so the longer they stay asleep, the better," he said with a wink.

Sadly, they awoke anyway as a series of alarms sounded across the whole Tree, causing them to cry from the sudden burst of sound. This woke up Bix in the process as well.

"Oh great, now what? Bix, would you mind keeping an eye on these two while we figure out what's going on?"

"Not at all, sir. Stay safe out there."

"Heh, no offense, but we're at the Great Tree. What could possibly go wrong?"

"More than you might think," Bryony said dryly. Shard turned to see she was looking out the hollow, spotting a much-darker sky than usual. "I think that's what they're sounding the alarm for."

"Wha... what is it?"

"I don't know, but we won't find out by just sitting here. Let's go!"

Lifting into flight, Shard and Bryony headed to the Great Hollow out of instinct. Along the way, they passed several owls holding an ice weapon, corresponding to their size.

"What's going on here? Is it because of that thing in the sky?"

"Shard, I don't know any more than you do right now. But whatever it is, it can't be good."

Acknowledging her argument, Shard continued to make his way to the Great Hollow. When he landed inside, he saw Twilight and Bubo handing out the weapons to passers-by.

"Captain, what's going on? What's with the weapons?"

"Ah, Shard, glad you could make it," Twilight said sarcastically, pointing out Shard's tardiness. "Grab a sword, and fly outside. Turns out that supposed crow attack was true, only they're coming at us right now!"

Without thinking further, Shard grabbed a sword and diligently flung it towards Bryony, who expertly caught it. After securing one for himself, he joined the other Guardians, who were gathering both on the land and in the branches of the Tree, anticipating the arrival of the crows.

Some owls were still visibly drained, and Soren worried greatly about them. He knew the lack of rest would play a big factor in the outcome of this battle, for better or for worse.

He glanced behind, and saw that the crows were almost upon them. Arend, who secured himself a scimitar, as well a short sword for Kraai to use, had informed Soren the crow he had cast out would be among them, with a plan to attempt the assassination of the leader of the murder and throw the hostile crows into disarray. That attempt was thwarted by Arend's earlier interference.

Soren felt like he needed to address the Guardians, to give their morale some sort of uplifting boost. He looked at his mate and offspring sitting next to him, and then to the throng of owls nestled around the exposed roots of the Great Tree. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his daughters trembling, their scimitars clacking against the dense wood frequently. This was the very first large scale battle they had been inducted into, and their gizzards were shaking just as profusely as their feathers. They feared for their lives, as well as their parents', and their dread granted them a feeling of cowardice they were hesitant to show.

"Pelli, while the Guardians gather, I think we should have a word with our own warriors." She met his gaze and traced it to the owls perched behind her, her face twisting with sadness.

Soren hopped across the roots and sat by Pelli's side, blocking most of the shore and Sea from their sight.

"Mum, Da, I'm so scared," whistled Blythe. "What if I… don't make it?"

"I don't want to go to Glaumora… not yet," added Bell. Bash remained silent, nodding her head in agreement.

Soren felt their anguish increase his own, yet the feeling was tempered by his massive stores of courage and skill. They were fresh out of Guardian training, and he knew that they were being forced into a deadly affair very prematurely. Nonetheless, to guard the Tree and its inhabitants with one's life was the most important creed of the Guardians, and there were few who were excluded from its binding decree.

"My daughters," Soren began, "it is alright to be afraid, but do not let it consume you, for that is when you will fall in battle." He inhaled and added, "Trust in your gizzards, and they will guide your weapons. Let your blows ring strong and true in defense of our home, and no enemy will ever defeat you."

He flashed his mate a solid glare, and she nodded once, heeding his silent order.

"Stay together and fight as one, and only flee to regroup. If any of your fellow Guardians need help, go to them, and beat back the enemy at all costs. Be smart, and do not attempt to overwork yourself or show off. Glaux has a destiny for all of us, and yes, many of your compatriots will not see another sunrise. But Glaux is not a ruthless being, and if you prove yourselves in battle, he will be compelled to spare your lives for another day."

The three sisters huddled together and mumbled, "We understand, Mum. We'll do our best…" "And that is all anyone could ever ask of you three, your mother and I included."

"Will you fight with us, Da?" queried Bash.

"What about you, Mum?" whispered Blythe. The monarchs scooted closer and laid tender wings across their children's backs.

Smiling down at them, Pelli said with conviction, "We will fight as a family, as Guardians, my dears."

"We will see this terrible night through, my beautiful daughters,' Soren added with pride.

Their tremors stilled, Soren kissed each of them on the tops of their skulls and turned back around. While Pelli mumbled a few last words to them, he cleared his throat in preparation for his short speech. As the oxygen flooded his system in the wake of a deep breath, the words quickly came to him.

"Guardians!" he cried sharply, attracting the attention of the mass of owls all around. "Listen, and listen well. The crow attack we've been informed about is here. The timing is most certainly off, but that doesn't matter now. What matters is that they're targeting this island, and we need to vanquish them. They outnumber us by far, but we have several advantages they don't. We have experience. We have weapons. We have strength. And most of all, we have the will and ability to see this fight through, and prevail!"

The owls hooted in agreement and willingness to do battle, their fire ignited by Soren's words.

"The enemy doesn't know we are aware of their approach, so use the foliage of our splendid Tree to hide yourself. They think they are going to surprise us, but once they get close enough, we will jump out and turn the tables on them. Wait for my signal for when the time comes. Fight valiantly, Guardians, and Glaux protect us all."

As the owls quickly scattered and hid among the millions of leaves the Tree harbored, Soren and his family flew up to Arend, who was trying his best to hide as well.

"Are you sure Kraai is going to be in that mob?" asked the king.

"Very. I told him to lay low in case I didn't get this weapon to him on time. So that's the first thing I'll do once I find him."

"Okay, be careful," Soren replied before flying back to his previous spot, his family in tow. Facing the sea and laying eyes once more on the approaching crows, who were now but a minute away from the shore, he deduced it wouldn't be long now. After a few excruciating moments, one crow flew up above the rest.

_Is that Kraai? He was told to lay low! He just made himself a prime target. Blasted!_

* * *

><p>Everything seemed to go smoothly for Zwart as he was leading his army towards the Great Tree. Even though he wanted to attack it a day sooner, he had to alter those plans because they got leaked to the Guardians. He had already taken care of Molod, the one who brought him the news of the leak. If he hadn't babbled about the plans before Zwart made them official, the Guardians would have been history by now. That particular crow was most likely dead by now on faraway Cape Glaux. Zwart had sliced his belly open and left him hanging, impaled through the ribs, on a bare fir branch.<p>

Instead, he had to postpone the attack to the same time the following day. If the Guardians were expecting the attack, they would be awake, fully conscious, and armed to the beak. In short, the crows surely would've been defeated. Now, though, thinking they've been had by a turnfeather that was untrustworthy from the start, this time the Guardians would surely be exhausted and ineffective in battle.

It would seem his plans were foiled again, as he spotted a bald eagle flying at a much faster pace, barely above sea level.

_That eagle must be friends with the Guardians. Ah, frink it. Even if he does alert some of them, there's no way he could wake them all before we get there, let alone get them prepared. We will see this day through!_

The closer he came to the Tree, the more he was sure of himself. Not a single owl was to be seen. Rissel, one of his many lieutenants flying by his side, was unnerved by this.

"Zwart, I don't like this. No matter how tired they might be, there should be some early birds around there somewhere."

"Perhaps, Rissel, but I sure don't see any. And that eagle we saw a few minutes earlier didn't seem to have done them any good. Frankly, I had hoped there would be some active ones. Better sport that way."

Just then, a few glints of reflected moonlight caught in Rissel's eye. His nervousness increased.

"I can see something glinting in the leaves, Zwart. I don't know what it is, but I've got a bad feeling about it!"

"Oh shut your beak, would you? That blasted Tree is full of metallic geegaws for measuring the weather and what not. Quit being such a coward and focus on the battle!"

_We're going to attack the Guardians in their sleep, and I'm the coward? Takes one to know one, you lousy little..._ Rissel didn't finish his thoughts as Zwart moved up above the army and addressed them.

"This is it, everyone! The redemption of your family, your friends, is at talon. The home of the scoundrels known as the Guardians of Ga'Hoole is right in front of us, and we shall make them all pay. Honor your fallen by slaughtering as many as you can, and afterward, we shall set this abomination of nature aflame with their own tools. For all crowkind... ATTACK!"

The first line of crows started to charge towards the Tree, ready to lay waste on every breathing creature inside, but faltered immediately by what they saw the very next instant.

Using his pristine hearing skills, Soren was able to pick up every word the crow leader was saying to his troops. It wasn't Kraai after all, then. Where he would be exactly was impossible to tell for now, since there was hardly anything that separated one crow from the next.

"Who's that? What's going on, Soren?" Arend asked as he lighted down on the roots behind the king, shifting around nervously.

"The crow above them is the leader addressing his soldiers. I think it'll be but a moment before they charge..."

Hearing Zwart shout out the command to lay siege upon the owls, Soren waited for three excruciating seconds before giving the same command himself.

"Guardians, attack! For Ga'Hoole!"

Hundreds of owls, of all shapes and sizes, with their preferred weapon firmly in their talons, shot up from the Tree's maze of branches and into the air, ready and eager to defend their home from the invaders.

The first line of crows that had started their charge were not expecting this in the least, and were quickly dealt with as the Guardians collided with them. However, the crows they defeated were but a fraction of their total numbers, as the sky quickly turned into a sea of black.

The battle now in full swing, cries of attacking owls and crows alike could be heard from everywhere, along with the shrieks of wounds being inflicted upon their victims. Many crows fumbled from the sky, their corpses falling both in the sea and on the island. Crows that hadn't perished yet were finished off as they contacted the land or water – their skeletons shattering or their lungs flooding with seawater.

Occasionally, an owl would befall the same fate. They were much better equipped than the crows were, and some owls could take out three hostiles at once with just one swing of their ice weapon or battle claws, but the crows managed to use their only advantage very well: their numbers. Four or five of them would be targeting the same owl at once. The larger owls would be besieged by no less than seven crows at the same time.

Fortunately, besides weapons and training, the Guardians also had teamwork on their side. If one owl was threatened to get overwhelmed, a few others would come to the rescue, even if the rescuers had adversaries to deal with themselves.

Yet it seemed that for every crow that was defeated, three more took its place. Every owl had his or her work cut out for them, to safeguard themselves and the others around them.

Zwart observed the battle from a higher altitude, contemplating on how the fight was progressing. If the Guardians were asleep, or at least most of them, this fight would have been over before the sun and its shining rays were completely out of sight.

His crows were fighting diligently, but despite the occasional owl falling to its doom, he had to come to terms with the fact he was losing the battle. However, he wasn't planning to back out. If he at least could terminate the owl in charge, then his destiny would be fulfilled, his ultimate goal achieved. Since the ruler in the time of the War of the Ember had already succumbed during the same fight, he decided to go for the next best option: the king.

Soren, however, was among one of the best fighters the Tree had to offer. Zwart wanted to deal with him personally, but he wouldn't do so if the king was at the top of his game. No, he needed to be worn out. So he devised another plan, and called over a dozen crows that weren't actively fighting at the moment.

Meanwhile, a specific crow that had been flying in the back of the army, looked around while the battle raged on ferociously around him. He searched madly for Arend, who was supposed to have a weapon waiting for him. The eagle stood out from all the other birds, so he wasn't hard to spot.

Kraai quickly flew over to him, the eagle double wielding a scimitar and a short sword, which he used to decapitate two crows simultaneously, one with each weapon. Seeing another crow coming up to him, Arend directed his next attack that way, but the crow barely avoided the blades by dropping a few inches.

"Arend, wait! It's me, Kraai!"

Realizing he almost killed the only crow ally owlkind has ever known, Arend said, "Oh, sorry Kraai, I didn't recognize you. Here, take this, and help out where you can!" after which he handed the short sword over to Kraai.

"Thanks. I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner, I was worried someone would recognize me, and -"

"No time for talking, Kraai. Have at them!"

Shooting off in different directions, the crow and eagle helped out others where they could. Kraai's job was made easier by the fact that his opponents flinched when they saw him, not expecting to have to deal with a turnfeather. Their croaks of disbelief and pleading were silenced moments after they begun. His death toll increased steadily as he severed one of his former brethren's wings or hacked deep wounds into their skin. His murder was not without remorse, for he knew of no other crow who could commit the sins he was committing.

_I have to do this not for myself… but for the Guardians… and Soren. Oh Corva… please forgive me…_

He noticed a Saw-Whet Owl sparring with a large female crow three times his size, unable to mount any sort of attack against her. He parried her dagger strike and somehow knocked it out of her claws, but then she proceeded to rip his own blade away.

_I have to rescue him! He doesn't have a chance. She's too strong!_

Kraai redoubled his flight speed as the Saw-Whet panicked and attempted to get away. The distance between him and the crow seemed to lengthen at the same rate he was approaching, as if he was going nowhere. When he was twenty wingspans away, Kraai's heart sunk. The powerful female grabbed the owl's wing and held him in front of her, like a fish ripe for the devouring.

A high-pitched cry of, "No! Let me go! Someone, anyone, help!" Kraai halved the distance and raised his short sword in attack position.

_I'm not going to make it…_ he realized, and his stomach twisted.

The crow laughed as he slapped her benignly with his free wing, then plastered the stolen dagger against his skinny neck. The owl went yeep in fear, and then the female jerked her foot. An ivory ball of feathers tumbled away from the body, and the owl went still. The crow tossed his corpse away, only to face in Kraai's direction with a dark smile on her face.

"What the…" she exclaimed, her smile warping into a shocked frown.

"You will DIE!" He arced his sword, feeling it slow down and then stop. It had cut down to her neck bone and become entrenched in the tissue.

"Turnfeather! Corva will judge you soon enough!" she squawked, bashing him in the skull with the dagger's hilt. The impact pushed him away, and the sword came with him. After recovering from his lingering daze, the crow was gone, a few short feathers glued to his weapon by her blood.

_His death was avenged. May Glaux rest his soul…_ Kraai thought, and then moved on to the next enemy.

Zwart and a large band of crows were circling the monarch and his posse, a ring of feathered evil that prevented their escape. He had not expected to see the king alone, and now that his target was being backed up by four additional owls, they had to be drawn off. Their ferocity was unmatched, and they cut down nearly half of his squad in under a minute. They needed to break away and regroup, and the large gap in the ring urged them to enter it.

"Come on, Pelli! You too, children!" Soren screeched, slicing the wings off of a crow who rushed in to try and stall them.

He burst through the gap and emerged into a roomy pocket of space, spying four brilliant white shapes just behind him. No sooner had he slowed his flight and spun around did his confidence and relief wither and die.

"I'm coming, Soren! We'll show these blasted birds what happens when they turn against us!" Behind Bell, Blythe, and Bash, a fresh armada of unarmed crows overtook them, cutting them off and hiding them behind a black wall of feathers. Moments later, a black streak came down at his mate from above, claws extended, beady eyes flashing.

"Pelli, look out!" he cried, but it was too late.

The crow cawed, "Surprise, filthy Tyto!" She looked up to locate the threat, but could not move fast enough to counter it. Its talons cut across her face like whips, instantly drawing blood and causing her to lurch in flight.

"Ahhh! Soren, my eye! I'm half-blind!" Soren watched in absolute horror as blood stained her face crimson, her left eye already trapped underneath her pale third eyelid. She, too, was soon forced to retreat as more crows hounded her. Her haphazard sword swipes were easily dodged, and so the attackers easily pushed her farther and farther away.

The male responsible for her wounds swung around and hovered in front of Soren, his talons dripping drops of Pelli's blood.

"Now, I can finally deal with you in the way I had always planned!" At this, a perfect circle of black birds surrounded him.

"I'll carve you into pieces for attacking my mate!"

"You're as much a fool as you are a warrior. We shall see who does the carving. Lieutenants, now is the time. Wear him down, as we have rehearsed!" Confused as to his intentions, Soren raised his scimitar and brutally murdered the crow in front of him. It was then that he was barreled into from behind, a sore spot forming between his wings.

He caught onto the main crow's method, but he realized there would be no hope of escape. He flung a crow away, only to suffer a blow to the could only direct his attention at one of them at a time, giving the other crow room to deal the Tyto a bruise. They weren't trying to fatally wound Soren, as was Zwart's plan, just wear him out, plain and simple.

And it was working.

The king knocked away a crow that charged at him from the front. Knowing what was coming, he spun around and raised his scimitar. He wasn't fast enough, and he took a hit to his left side.

_I'm outnumbered, and they're just pounding me into submission. I need help! Pelli, where are you? I wish you were able to help me! Glaux guard you, dear!_

Thinking he could lose himself in the seething mass of dueling bodies above, he pointed his scimitar straight out in front of him and flew at the ring. He sheared off the wings of two of Zwart's minions, creating a gap as the crows lost their ability to fly. He traveled but a few wingspans when two crows seized his tail feathers in their claws. They threw him painfully backwards as the boundary reformed, and a third flew up from below and rammed his head into Soren's chest. The Tyto staggered and coughed, dropping a few feet before he forced his wings to resume flapping.

"Now you feel what it's like to suffer, as I have these past years," Zwart cawed, his beady eyes flashing in delight. "You're done for, pitiful Tyto! Eventually, you'll be too weak to even swing that weapon. Then, I will have all the pleasure of clawing your throat out!"

"You just… wait, coward. My mate will come… and send you to Hagsmire."

"I doubt it," he retorted. "Rissel, Styx! Again!"

On cue, a pair of crows streaked towards him. He cut down the crow on his left, but the other's skull connected with the back of his neck.

_Oh Glaux, send someone to help me! Please… don't take me… not today…_

With each blow, Soren could feel his stamina depleting, bit by bit...

* * *

><p>Florentina, the Pygmy Owl, was double wielding two ice daggers, and despite her size and cheery personality, she proved to be an able fighter. Ducking underneath an attacking crow, she flipped up behind it and slashed one of the daggers across its back, exposing the spine and causing the crow to plummet into the sea. Another crow that made his move immediately after was quickly dealt with, as Florentina twirled around, the other dagger extended, slicing the crows' neck. Being a Pygmy, she wasn't much of a target at first, but seeing as how she was taking out single foes with little effort, she reeled in more attention than she wanted. Now four crows were coming at her at once.<p>

She tried her best at holding them off, but it was too much of a struggle for her to keep up. She needed help, and fast.

Blocking off another attack, she fumbled one of her daggers. With the other one, she coincidentally managed to amputate a talon from one of the crows. The distraction from the battle of this small dismemberment allowed the Pygmy Owl to finish off the unfortunate crow. The other three didn't relent, and moved in for the kill...

"Florentina!"

As soon as the voice called her name, one of the three remaining crows started to fall from the sky, the back of its neck ruptured.

"Ekster! Thank Glaux you're here, they almost got the best of me!"

Ekster had flown all the way from the Shadow Forest, trailing the army of crows to the Great Tree, and watched at how the battle had begun. She couldn't do much without a weapon of her own, though. Florentina's predicament remedied her situation. When she dropped one of her daggers, Ekster dove after it right away, caught it on the fly and took it back up, removing one of Florentina's threats in the process.

"Don't mention it. Let's take care of business!" she shouted.

The remaining two crows, now suddenly facing two birds with a weapon each instead of one bird with two weapons, knew their number was up. They quickly joined their fallen brethren in the void.

Nodding to each other, they sped off in different directions to help where needed, like Kraai and Arend did before.

* * *

><p>Flying back to back, Shard and his other half, Bryony, played each other off like clockwork in their own dealings with the crow invaders. Given their rich experience of doing battle, they had little to no problem holding off their assaulters, provided no more than four of them came at once.<p>

Cutting down three crows in one precise swing, Shard looked up to see a dozen of hostiles speeding towards them. One of the many sublieutenants on the enemy force had noticed the prowess of the couple, and rallied his subordinates against them.

"Heads up, Bryony! Large number of hostiles incoming, starboard high!"

Dealing with her own adversaries, Bryony looked in the direction Shard pointed out.

"I see them. Brace yourself, Shard, this might hurt... them!"

Just as the crows were about to collide with the pair of Spotted Owls, Shard and Bryony arched their weapons towards them. Their timing was impeccable: the whole front line of attackers was cut down, and six of them joined their fallen kin. However, the remaining crows realized that unless their numbers were reinforced, they couldn't beat both of these owls at the same time.

So before either of the owls could bring their weapons up again, they ganged up on Shard, beating and pecking him wherever they could strike him.

"Argh! Bryony, help! They're killing me! They're-"

A loud cracking noise resonated from the heap of fighting feathers, followed by an antagonizing scream.

"AAH! My wing! They broke my wing!"

The crows releasing him, Shard started to fall towards the sea, all but certain of his doom. Bryony went into a frenzy at this sight, and seized a crow by the neck. She swung her weapon toward two others, gutting one and severing the wing of the other. Dealing with two more crows in a similar manner, she twirled around and launched the crow lodged in her claw towards the last remaining one, knocking them both unconscious.

Turning her attention to her mate, still falling towards the Sea below, she threw her sword away and sped after him. Shard flapped his good wing as fast as he could, to try and slow his descent.

Head first and wings folded, Bryony caught up with Shard and grabbed him by the nape. He was still quite some distance away from the water, and Bryony carefully brought him down towards the shore.

His head swimming from the pain indulged by the broken wing, Shard twisted his head around to get a focus on anything. A glint of shining white caught his gaze. Through the myriad of movement that was the crow army, his eyes were fixed on the moon above, nearly hypnotizing him.

"Luna..." he muttered.

Bryony, trying her best to hold on to Shard firmly without digging her talons into his flesh, looked down at him.

"What was that, Shard? What did you say?"

"I think that's what we should call our daughter. Luna."

"That's... a good name. I like it, Shard," Bryony said, as she carefully placed her other half on the shore. He collapsed on the sand, trying not to land on his broken wing, and Bryony sat besides him, panting.

"Are you... alright, Shard? Apart from... you know..." she asked.

"I'll be fine, dearest," Shard said, biting through the pain. "Guess this means the fight is over for me."

"Not for me, it isn't. I'm getting right back up there, and make those spawns from hagsmire pay for what they've done to you!"

"Bryony, wait! You can't! You're a parent now, remember? We did well with the two of us, but what if they try something like that again? What if they... succeed? I don't want our little ones to grow up without their mother..."

Bryony was slightly appalled that Shard thought this way. She used to be the leader of the Resistance after all, and had lived through many a battle. Furthermore, as long as the battle was raging, other owls were still in danger, and so wouldn't be living up to her oath if she didn't help them in their time of need.

But on the other talon, his words held some merit. Even though so many crows had already been vanquished, there were still hundreds more where those came from. Together, they were a fierce duo, but the crows did manage to overtake one of them. If she went out on her own, the possibility of her getting wounded – or maybe even killed – was increased considerably. Plus, she couldn't just leave him here while she went to fight off the invaders.

"I understand, Shard. However, I can't just leave the Guardians to fend for themselves. Every owl we lose is one too many. So how about this: I get both of us a weapon, I'll circle overhead dealing with crows where needed while keeping an eye on you. If any of them come for you, you can deal with them for yourself. Sound good?"

Shard gave it a quick thought, weighing his options. He really didn't want his mate to go out there again, but the Guardian oath was most sacred. So he gave her another reason to stay safe.

"Alright, but on one condition. Since I named our daughter, you're the one who should name our son. Promise me, for their sake, that you'll come back in one piece..."

"I will, Shard. Our creed is important, but you and our children are right up there with it. I won't do anything rash."

Bryony lifted off, in search for a weapon for both her and her mate, and to resume the battle afterward.

* * *

><p>Soren was aching all over, his muscles protesting with each forced flap of his wings. He had managed to take out several of his attackers, but the remaining ones kept laying the hurt on him. Everywhere he looked, he saw crows flying in all directions, attacking anyone that wasn't on their side.<p>

He knew he couldn't keep up with this much longer. He'd call out for help, but the nearest owls around him were struggling with targets of their own. Pelli and their children were fully lost in the swarm, and he had little chance of summoning them. To make matters worse, Zwart and his lieutenant Rissel each had managed to secure an ice dagger from previously felled Guardians.

Then it happened. Soren took another strike to the ribs, losing his grip on his specially-crafted scimitar. It gleamed as it hurtled towards the ground, a tiny sliver of gray above the island's green surface.

"Ha!" Zwart shouted. "Now's the time, Rissel. Even if we lose this battle, we can still draw pride from taking the enemy leader down with us. You graze his wing, while I cut his heart out!"

To Zwart's utter dismay, Rissel hesitated. _Maybe Kraai was right all along? These owls... they don't d__eserve to die. They only want to protect what they stand for, and that's a world full of peace. Why are we doing this?_

"Well? I gave you an order, Rissel! Get to it!" Zwart commanded.

"Zwart, I'm having second thoughts about all this. Do we- HURK!"

Rissel would never finish his sentence, for protruding from his throat was the tip of an ice blade, dripping with his blood.

"You're not getting our king, not if I can help it!" Jette yelled at the crow, tearing his blade out and half-severing the crow's neck. Rissel dropped like a stone, but Soren's attention was diverted.

"Jette, look out!" he called. Jette turned, but it was too late.

Enraged by both Rissel's doubt and subsequent death, Zwart lunged his dagger towards the Milky Eagle Owl. Just as Jette faced him, the dagger made contact right between Jette's eyes, splitting through his skull and fatally skewering his brain.

Letting gravity do its job, Zwart pulled the dagger back and faced his foe.

"And now it's your turn. For years you have caused me immense pain and suffering. Your stupid war cost me my whole family and every one of my friends! Everyone I held dear! All gone… because of_ you_."

Soren was frozen, on the verge of going yeep and falling to his death. His gizzard was numb with shock after witnessing Jette's demise playing out right in front of him in such an undeserving manner. His bruised and exhausted body refused to obey the orders of his brain.

Zwart, fuming with all the rage he had bottled up from years of grieving, closed his eyes. Dagger first, he lunged for the frozen king at the fastest speed he could muster.

"SOREN!"

Zwart felt his dagger collide with something. Cawing out in glee, he was certain to have stabbed the owl monarch right through the heart. He opened his eyes... and found himself staring at the nape of another crow.

"Kraai! NO!" Soren yelled, his upper body splattered with blood. It was not his own.

The dagger punctured Kraai's back as the pacifist crow had launched himself between Soren and his former leader. It didn't kill him right away, for gruesomely enough, his still-beating heart was ripped out from his chest, mere inches away from Soren's face. It remained connected to Kraai by way of a few stubborn blood vessels. Kraai spied his externalized heart, then cast an agonized glare at Soren. "Have I… redeemed myself, my… king?" he asked softly.

"No, Kraai! NO!" another, female voice yelled out.

"You blasted fool!" Zwart said as he retracted the dagger. Kraai fluttered his wings, then plummeted. What was left of him ended up on the shore of Hoole.

"Look at what your compassion for these louts has cost you!" Zwart yelled after Kraai, before turning back to Soren. "You must enjoy seeing others bear the bite of a blade in your defense. Though a turnfeather, he was still a crow. You caused me to kill one of my own, and that gives me a second reason to execute you!"

"Yaaaah!" the same female voice from before screamed. And just before Zwart was able to turn his words into deeds, Soren roughly dodged the attack. Zwart cut only the cool air, cursing his adversary and preparing for another slash.

A fraction of a second later, Zwart felt a strange sensation. Starting from lower right edge of his beak to the base of his tail, he felt... cold. He continued flapping his wings to stay aloft, but the effort of doing so strained his skin and bones, causing them to grow further and further apart. "Tyto… this isn't… over…" he taunted as his allies deserted him. He watched as the king wobbled off as well.

A magpie with a bloody dagger hovered in front of him, her expression flat.

Zwart tried to give chase, but the more he pumped his wings, the more his back split in two. The rip started between his wings and spread in both directions, a curtain of blood pouring from his underside. His two near-perfect halves spun towards the sea.

Ekster watched as the sliced-in-twain body of Zwart was sucked underwater, which had turned a shade of rust from all the blood spilled therein, from both owls and crows alike. The beach, where some of the wounded and lifeless creatures landed, was also colored crimson in many spots. Those unfortunate enough to fall atop the numerous rocks scattered across the beach ended up scattered themselves.

Ignoring the ongoing battle around her, she dove down towards the beach to find Kraai. He wheezed and coughed, as the sand around him rapidly turned crimson. His half-detached heart lay exposed on his chest, leaking liquid life force at an alarming rate.

Noticing Ekster looming above him, he strained to lift his wing, resting it on her back.

"I can see... the Forever. An angel has come… to welcome me into..." he stuttered, a tiny stream of scarlet fluid trickling from his beak.

"No," Ekster moaned, her eyes swelling up with tears. "It's just plain old me..."

"Then, it's an angel... coming to say... goodbye."

Ekster closed her eyes, tears running freely from them, and contacted her beak with his. When she pulled her head back, she saw Kraai smiling at her. The doomed crow inhaled desperately, a sickening gurgling noise rising from his throat.

"See this?" he asked, using a trembling talon to point at the languidly pulsing organ that was supposed to be inside of him, rather than outside. "This... belongs t-to you. I'll be w-waiting for you… up there… in t-the…" and his heart gave out.

"I love you..." Ekster stated, a few brave tears plopping onto his fully-open eyes. She felt his wing slide off her back, coming to a silent rest on the congealed sand. She collapsed on top of him, soaking her chest in his warm blood, and let all her sorrow and despair shower his corpse.

* * *

><p>As the battle raged on for another hour, the crows found themselves to be growing fewer in numbers over time. Some of them realized this and began to retreat, though a few unlucky ones failed to flee the island before being slaughtered.<p>

Just as a snowball rolling down a hill would expand in size, so did more and more crows fly for their lives, until the fighting ceased.

As many of the Guardians started to cheer over their victory, others concerned themselves with tending to the victims and injured. Wounded owls who fell into the sea – and were spotted quickly enough – were pulled out before they drowned and carefully placed on the beach. The owls that were cheering before quickly joined in their plight, and recovered a bunch of cloth sheets from the Tree. Each wounded owl would be rolled into one, which made it easier for the unscathed owls – not to mention more comfortable for the victim – to carry them back to the infirmary hollow of the Great Tree. Other pieces of cloth were draped over those where help could no longer be offered.

A few volunteers collected the remains of the fallen crows, which were piled up on a heap some distance away from the remains of fallen Guardians.

Tomorrow would be a gloomy day...


	11. Closure

**Chapter 11: Closure**

"Has everything been prepared, Bubo?"

"Yes, Soren. Each fallen owl has their own pyre for their Final Ceremony, and the pile of crows is dry enough to be lit. We're just waiting for you to kick things off."

"Very well. This will be a grim day many of us are sure to remember for a long time, so let's make it a memorable one."

About three quarters of the available land on the Island of Hoole was covered with stacks of wood, gathered from the surrounding lands. On top of the stacks was a platform, the remains of a fallen Guardian placed atop it, wrapped in cloth. Only their faces were visible, so the next of kin could identify their belated loved ones. A branch of the Great Tree was placed on top of each of the remains, as a symbolic gesture.

On the other side of the island, as far away as possible from the pyres, were the remains of the crows – or at least the ones that could be recovered – thrown onto a large pile. Even though they were the enemy, they too deserved some kind of Final Ceremony – albeit far less humble than the owl kind.

All remaining Guardians – still numbering well in the hundreds – were gathered around the pyres, including Ekster and Arend. Soren landed next to his foremost reason for life, Pelli, who was surrounded by the members of the Parliament and, most importantly, her daughters. Even though a large majority had survived, hardly any of the victors were unscathed in one way or another. As expected, Pelli's head was halfway wrapped in bandages, covering the injury she suffered to her left eye. The cornea of said eye was badly damaged, and although Matron had done the best she could to preserve it, she couldn't guarantee the eye would make a full recovery.

Soren shifted his gaze to his daughters. He was very relieved, and not in the least very proud, that they overcome their first – and hopefully, last – big battle. Bell and Blythe both had a bandage wrapped around their left and right leg respectively, while Bash had one around her chest.

All of the Parliament members had their own little attended nicks and gashes, Twilight obviously being the one most proud of having them.

"Guardians," Soren began his speech, "we have prevailed and lived through another battle for our survival, though the cost was high. We have lost friends and family, something we will never grow accustomed to. Let us be together today to mourn them, and release their spirits to our Almighty Glaux."

Soren turned to grab a poker from a kettle filled with glowing hot embers, provided by Bubo's furnace, intended to ignite the pyres. Yet, before he grabbed the poker, he turned back and continued his speech.

"No matter what goes on in the world from this day forward, we must never lose faith in the companionship with all the other species on this planet. Even though ours foes are vanquished, we must not eradicate them, or allow them to be eradicated. If we are called upon to endure what they have suffered, we will answer the call to arms with the same determination we have shown in our latest battle."

Soren grabbed the poker, its tip glowing white hot, and moved over to a specific pyre. On top of that pyre was not an owl, but the remains of the only bird other than a Guardian – other than an owl, no less – to receive a pyre: Kraai.

"This crow gave his life to save mine. He paid the ultimate sacrifice so that I might live. For this reason alone, I believe there can be good in every creature, despite their nature, heritage or legacy. In honor of his sacrifice, Kraai, the most honorable crow this world has seen to this day, shall be the first to ascend to glaumora, Glaux willing."

Soren turned and offered the poker to Ekster, who was standing alongside Arend next to Kraai's pyre, on the verge of breaking into tears. With a shaking claw, she accepted it, and took the tip to the base of the pyre. The wood began to smoulder, a tiny flame birthed within the smoke, and as the newly born fire expanded its way across the branches, it quickly grew into a small bonfire. Returning the poker back to Soren, Ekster let her tears run freely. Arend, no less saddened by the loss of his friend, sheltered her by placing his wing over her, allowing her to lean onto him.

Soren, poker in claw, moved over to the next pyre. This one was occupied by the remains of Targas, accompanied by his mate and son, Illia and Kerk. Even though he wasn't a victim of the war, he was still promised a fitting Final Ceremony.

"Illia," Soren began, "I'm sorry we had to meet in these circumstances. Shard has explained to me what tragedies have befallen you and your family that caused you to end up at out mighty Tree. Needless to say, all of us are very sorry for your loss. May Glaux watch over you, and welcome your mate into glaumora."

"My mate has given his life to save mine, just like that crow... Kraai... did for you," Illia replied, her voice slightly quivering from sadness. "If Glaux is noble enough to accept a crow in glaumora, I have no doubt Targas will be welcomed too. He was... something else, that one. I – we, will miss him terribly, but there will come a day we will all be reunited. Of that, I'm certain."

Nodding, Soren handed her the poker. And just like Kraai's, Targas' pyre was lit, its flames intensifying the illumination of the first pyre.

Before moving to the next pyre, Soren turned to Kerk.

"Kerk, blessed son of Targas and Illia, I would request your presence, for this next pyre holds the remains of Jette, the head of the Joss Corps, and for a far too short time, your mentor. Since you were his last student, I would like for you to ignite his final resting place, and send him off to the afterlife. Will you accept?" Soren held out the poker.

Glancing at it, at Soren and then at his mother, Kerk wondered if he wanted to have this dubious honor. But the look on his mother's face said everything he needed, and more.

He returned his gaze back to the monarch in front of him, nodded, accepted the poker, and turned to Jette's pyre.

"Jette... You taught me very much in very little time. I wish you were here to teach me further, watch me grow, and see you taking pride in a student dedicated in living up to his teacher's expectations. Alas, Glaux needs you at his side, which outweighs my need for you to be at mine. Farewell, my mentor."

As tears ran through his feathers, Kerk lit the pyre.

* * *

><p>It wasn't long until all the pyres had been lit by the occupant's family or friends, providing them with farewells and good tidings. The accumulated light the fires emitted was bright enough to be visible from across the Sea of Hoolemere. The piled of crows on the other side of the island was lit as well, albeit far less ceremoniously compared to the departed Guardians.<p>

After the last pyre had been ignited, some of the owls sang a farewell song for the departed.

_The tragedies of life have come to an end  
><em>_Let your spirit go and be born again  
><em>_For Glaux, He is waiting, He will take you in  
><em>_And whatever you do, don't look back_

_This mortal life complete  
><em>_Float up to the surface of glaumora's shore  
><em>_Enjoy life eternal  
><em>_Don't you worry anymore  
><em>_Don't you worry anymore  
><em>_Don't you worry, worry for us anymore and_

_Go with Glaux  
><em>_Go with Glaux_

_We'll look up at the moon  
><em>_And see each other soon  
><em>_We'll look up at the moon  
><em>_And see each other soon_

As the hours of the night passed by and the fires slowly started to dwindle down due to the lack of ignitable fuel, some of the Guardians returned to their hollows to get some rest, while others chose to stay for a while longer. Soren, after a quick consultation with Pelli and the Parliament, named Ekster and Arend honorary members of the Tree, and were given permission to come and go as they please.

Being creatures of the day, they spent the rest of the night sleeping next to each other in a vacant hollow, and planned to head out when morning came around. Soren made sure someone would be awake during that moment to provide them with some nutrition before heading out.

* * *

><p>Shard, his broken wing firmly wrapped in a soft cloth, nuzzled Bryony tenderly as she kept her gaze on her offspring. Both of them were snoozing in the warmth of her belly feathers. Bix sat a few inches away from them, picking up some mild distress radiating from Bryony.<p>

"Are you trying to think of a name for your son, dearie?" she asked.

Bryony looked up at her. "I was, Bix. I thought of one, but I don't know if it's a good one."

"We won't know until you tell us, sweetie," Shard said, preening a few of her head feathers. Bryony looked at him, then back at Bix, and finally looked down at her son again.

"Well... You named our daughter Luna, because you saw the moon when I grabbed you. So, since we were victorious at this Battle of the Moon Festival, I was thinking to name our son... Victus."

Shard joined his mate in looking at his son, the latter squeaking in his sleep.

"Looks like he likes it... and I do too. It's a wonderful name, honey. Victus it will be."

"Victus and Luna..." Bryony said absentmindedly. "Welcome to this world."

Minutes passed like seconds as Shard basked in the harmony erupting from the inside of his hollow, so relieved and happy that his family was spared of death's cold embrace. Enraptured, he almost didn't hear the soft rap that was created by a visitor, sitting at the rim of their hollow. Shard turned to see Twilight, a mischievous smirk donning his face.

"Hey, Cap. What's with the smile? You've never seen a happy family before?"

"Oh, I have, but that's not what I'm here for," Twilight replied.

"Then what..." _Oh no, _Shard thought to himself, as his face dropped.

"Yep. Time to make good your promise."

* * *

><p><em>To all crows still out there.<em>

_Know that we harbor no ill thoughts towards you. We understand that you were all manipulated by the false promises of the one named Zwart._

_We are willing to confer with the survivors of the Battle of the Moon Festival, for we realize your population has suffered a serious blow. It is our hope and desire to accomplish a treaty that will prevent this kind of pointless bloodshed from happening ever again._

_A messenger will be waiting at Cape Glaux, at the next newing of the moon. Whether you agree to achieve this goal or not, please send your chosen ambassador to meet with the messenger carrying your decision._

_We only strive for the world to be at peace, where death is only tolerated for the natural order of things. For the sake of thriving future generations everywhere, we hope you will agree with our philosophy._

_Please discuss this matter amongst yourselves keeping this in mind._

_Yours respectfully_

_King Soren, Queen Pellimore  
><em>_Guardians of Ga'Hoole_

"There. I hope the crows will come to terms with our point of view," Soren said, putting down his quill after he wrote the last words of his letter.

"So do I," Pelli replied, sitting next to him in the secluded comfort of their own hollow. As Soren turned to look at her, she winced and turned away, slightly ashamed of how she appeared before him, with half of her head wrapped up in bandages.

"Pelli? What's the matter, dear?"

"Soren... do you think my eye will ever recover from this?" The intonation in her voice failed to hide what really concerned her.

"That's not the real question, is it?" he asked instead.

Pelli sighed. "Will... will you still love me if it doesn't?"

"Will I- what a thing to say! Of course I will! With or without an eye, you are still the same Pellimore I fell in love with, and nothing will ever change that, least of all your appearance. I will always love you, no matter what."

"Thank you, my love," she replied, relieved beyond imagination. "Yet, I'm so worried... What if it doesn't heal?"

"Well... you could always learn from Otulissa."

"Oh yes, you're right, the poor thing. I have grown so accustomed to her appearance, the thought didn't cross my mind."

"Think nothing of it. Now, what do you say we take this letter to the printing chaw, so it can be spread across the land?"

"Right behind you, dearest. Just, please, take it slow, would you mind? I haven't fully adjusted to this condition yet..."

"Of course, my darling. Right this way..."

* * *

><p>As Soren and Pelli swooped out of their hollow, Otulissa sat in the library, contemplating on recent past events. She sat at her desk, her latest work-in-progress '<em>New Tales of Ga'Hoole – After the War'<em> in front of her. It was a good thing she hadn't finished it yet, because this latest battle was enough to provide it with a brand new chapter.

She pulled out a feather from her left wing, dipped it in ink, and started writing a prologue.

_Chapter 15_

_The Battle of the Moon Festival_

_As I write this, this event occurred less than a night cycle ago. A war has been fought, to which I will refer to as the Battle of the Moon Festival, even though it occurred one night after the actual festivities. And even though we were victorious, that victory came with a high cost, just like any other victory._

_We lost good friends and family members, the emotional scars of their demise added to the physical ones. No matter the outcome of any battle, wounds are always inflicted, one way or another._

_In hindsight, this battle that also taught many of us an important lesson. Sometimes, allies can be found within the enemy forces itself. But when those allies come to seek you out, but are rejected because nobody believes them, it might just be your undoing._

_For the rest of this chapter, remember this moral, my dear readers:_

_The enemy of my enemy is my friend._

* * *

><p><strong>THE END<strong>

_A/N: song inspired by Us Against The World, performed by Coldplay._


End file.
